On Borrowed Wings
by Moriens-der-Lyset
Summary: Axel is barely hanging on to his life by a thread. Roxas is undoubtedly the creepiest person Axel has ever met. When a ouija board session goes horribly wrong, will they be able to fix the problems they've created, or will they die - or worse?
1. Catalyst

**Title:** On Borrowed Wings  
><strong>Fandom:<strong> Kingdom Hearts  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M  
><strong>Pairings:<strong> AkuRoku, Zemyx, Soriku, and numerous others.  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Sex, drugs, drinking, prostitution, foul language, blood and gore, possession by demons, life-threatening situations… You name it, it's probably in here. Not for the faint of heart.  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Axel is struggling to keep the pieces of his life stitched together in a world full of chaos. Roxas is a staunch believer in the paranormal and undoubtedly the creepiest person Axel has ever met. When a ouija board session goes terribly wrong, will they be able to fix the problems they have caused before their time runs out, or will they end up dead - or worse?  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Kingdom Hearts © Disney and Square Enix, Final Fantasy © Square Enix, all other references do not belong to me.

**Author's Note: **Well, I've finally gotten around to writing the first chapter of my new fanfiction... Nothing too bad in this chapter. I hope you guys like horror stories, though!

~::~

_Trying to find a moment of peace in a city that never sleeps can be a difficult task to accomplish. In the chaos of everyday life, things are always changing. Stoplights change, minds change, people's lives change. But even if one person's world seems to grind to a halt, the streets of New York City never slow._

~::~

_Beep. Beep. Beep._ The chirping of the alarm clock mingled with the sounds of traffic outside the window of the small apartment, still cacophonous even four stories off the ground. A hand emerged from the jumble of sheets on the bed and groped around for the clock for a moment before finding it. The hand clenched into a fist and slammed down on the off button.

"Why the fuck," the owner of the hand groaned, "is my alarm clock going off at five on a fucking Saturday?" The speaker sat up, the top of their head poking out of the sheets, red hair contrasting sharply with the white of the fabric. The person extricated themselves from the sheets and slid out of bed, feet hitting the carpeted floor with a muffled thump

Sighing, the tall red-haired man headed into the next room. He winced when his bare feet came in contact with the frigid surface of the kitchen tiles. "I can't believe I left my alarm on," the man muttered as he filled a tea kettle with water and set it on the stove to boil. "What a dumbass."

Despite his aversion to rising so early on a weekend, he went about his usual morning routine. The man went to take a quick shower while the water boiled. A sigh of contentment escaped his lips as the rush of warm water from the showerhead hit his back. He liked nothing better than a nice, hot shower, except maybe sleeping in.

The phone rang as the redhead was returning to the kitchen, now fully clothed in jeans and a worn t-shirt. He grabbed the cordless phone off of his dresser on his way into the next room. "Hello?"

"Axel, why the hell are you taking a shower at five in the morning on a Saturday, of all days?"

Axel winced at the volume of the other man's voice. "Geez, Demyx, it's not illegal to take a shower, y'know. And why are _you_ up this early? You're not exactly an early bird yourself."

The happiness in the other's voice was apparent. "Zexion came over last night and he ended up staying. You know how he likes getting up early to get a few minutes of peace and quiet."

"With you around? Fat chance," The two of them laughed. "So how is your little pygmy emo?"

Another voice on Demyx's end of the line answered, "I'm perfectly fine, thank you. You're just jealous that Demyx is getting more than you."

"Zexy!" Demyx sounded shocked. "What did I tell you about making fun of Axel's lack of-"

Axel cut him off. "Please don't finish that sentence. I do _not_ want to know how much you've told him about my sex life, or lack thereof. Look, since we're all awake, how about we go grab some breakfast or something?"

"It's five in the-"

"I know, I know!" Axel cut Demyx off. "I meant later, after we're all presentable and actually awake. Besides, you two probably need to go shower too." The redhead knew that his comment embarrassed Demyx, judging by the awkward silence that stretched on for several moments.

"Fine," the other man said after a while. "Give me and Zexion a few minutes, and then we can see if there's anything worth eating around here."

"Okay. Just go ahead and come over here when you're ready." The redhead ended the call and went to replace the phone in its charging station. He ran back to the kitchen when the kettle sent forth a noise that was closer to a shriek than the customary whistle and removed it before his eardrums shattered. Still wincing, he took a coffee mug out of one of the cupboards and poured the hot water in it. Once this was done, he walked over to the pantry and rummaged around the contents of the shelves until he came up with a half-empty box of tea bags. He selected one of them randomly and replaced the box before shutting the pantry door and placing the tea bag in his cup.

Axel returned to his bathroom and proceeded to blow dry the thick tangle of still-wet red hair on his head, carefully working out the knots with a fine-toothed comb. Not really up to the task of spiking his hair with gel as he did some days, he wove it into a simple braid to keep it out of his face and tied it off at the end with a rubber band he found in one of the drawers.

Stomach already growling, he made his way back to the kitchen and picked up his mug of tea, discarding the spent tea bag in the trashcan as he passed. He sat down at the small kitchen table and sipped at the hot drink, watching the hands of the clock on the wall slowly make their way around the infinite loops they were doomed to repeat. Axel allowed himself a wry chuckle. That wasn't so different from _his_ life, some times.

"Hey, open up!" The redhead rolled his eyes as he heard Demyx call out to him, knocking loudly on the door.

"Cool it, I'm coming!" He set his almost-empty cup down on the table and walked over to the door.

Demyx tackled him as soon as the lock clicked open. "Hiya, buddy! Good morning!" Axel wrestled with him for a few moments before releasing him. The other man was dressed in a simple outfit of bleached blue jeans and a tie-dye t-shirt, but the thing that made his outfit almost painful to look at was the sheer number of bracelets, necklaces, and numerous other pieces of jewelry that adorned him, all in neon colors. His dirty blonde hair was in its usual style, one that Demyx denied looked anything like a mullet.

"Man, if I turned the lights off in here, you could be our own personal sun," Axel joked, punching him in the shoulder.

"Oh, shut up."

As Demyx went and flopped down in one of the kitchen chairs, a shorter, much more subdued man entered the apartment. He was clad in a purple t-shirt and black jeans. His long steel gray hair was swept over one side of his face, covering his right eye. The one eye that was visible was an intelligent icy blue that could make you feel utterly stupid with just a glance.

"Good morning, Axel," Zexion nodded at him and closed the door behind him. "So, do we have any idea where we're planning on going?"

"How about that little café a few blocks south? I went there last week before work. Their pancakes are jizz-yourself delicious," Demyx blinked when the other two men raised their eyebrows. "What? I really like their pancakes."

"You have no filter, Dem," Axel informed him as he swallowed the remainder of his tea and deposited the empty cup in the sink. "I've never been there before, actually… I wouldn't mind trying it. Zexion, any complaints?"

"I don't care as long as they have coffee."

Axel wrinkled his nose in disgust. "I don't see how you people can drink that stuff. It's nasty!"

"We're not all as refined as you, drinking tea like water," Demyx retorted. "You're not even English!"

"No, but I'm Irish. That's about at close as it gets," The redhead stretched, yawning. His stomach growled loudly. "Can we go? I think the hungry beast in my belly is about to attack someone."

Demyx chuckled, while Zexion rolled his eyes. Axel ran back to his room to retrieve his wallet and then the three men exited the apartment, making their way down the stairs rather than wait for the elevator. Axel immediately wished he had remembered to bring a jacket as he opened the door that led out of his apartment block and a blast of chilly mid-November air hit him.

"_Fuck_, is it cold out here," he said through gritted teeth. "Why didn't you warn me?"

"Didn't know," Demyx replied, zipping up his windbreaker. "Zexion and I only brought our coats out of habit. We can wait if you want to go grab yours."

Axel shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Nah, I'll live. Maybe this'll wake me up a little."

The walk to the café was slightly more pleasant than Axel thought it would be. The familiar sounds of the early morning traffic in the city were soothing, somehow, despite being so rowdy. It almost made the cold bearable to be able to take in the city's early morning routine, picking back up after the temporary lull in the youngest hours of the day. The redhead found himself dropping farther and farther back as he took in the way the sun's rays were glinting off the upper-story windows of the tallest buildings, reflecting them down onto the street below to create pools of lights amongst the dark alleyways.

Axel's reverie was broken when somebody rammed into him at high speeds, causing them both to go careening into the doorway of a nearby store. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" the redhead exclaimed as he picked himself up and dusted off the front of his shirt and pants. "Seriously, watch where you're going."

"You were the one standing in the middle of the sidewalk, dumbass," Axel looked up, ready to fling more insults at the idiot who had plowed him over, but he stopped short when he saw them. The person standing in front of him was short, almost the same height as Zexion, but his hair and wardrobe were entirely different. The black skinny jeans he wore were ripped so heavily that he had to wear black leggings underneath them to make them suitable to wear out in public. The sleeves of his shirt, which had apparently once been a turtleneck, were gone, replaced by gauzy black fabric that clung to his slender arms. A multitude of metal-studded leather belts were slung haphazardly around his waist in no particular order. Several leather bracelets were fastened around his wrists, and his left ear boasted three piercings, two black studs and one silver cuff. The person's blonde hair was styled into spikes that looked sharp enough to use as weapons. But it wasn't any of this so much as the blonde's eyes that caught Axel's attention, deep blue and ringed with just the right amount of black eyeliner. The stranger picked up the skateboard he had been riding and righted it, placing one foot on the top. "Cat got your tongue?"

"Um… Look, I'm sorry. I gotta go. My friends are waiting for me." Axel turned and ran down the street towards the spot where Demyx and Zexion were waiting for him. He did his best not to look back.

"What the hell happened back there?" Demyx asked him as they sat down in one of the booths in the café they had chosen to dine at. "You looked like you were about to faint when you ran up!"

"I… Nothing, really. Some idiot teenager rammed into me on his skateboard, we fell over, exchanged a few insults, and then I joined you two again," Axel shrugged. "Nothing life-changing, I swear."

"Don't tempt Fate, man. You'll regret it," Demyx warned, waggling a finger in his direction. "Isn't that right, Zexy?"

Zexion looked at his partner, gaze laced with skepticism. "I wouldn't be too sure of that. It really depends on what your views on Fate are, if it can willingly cause things to happen like a sentient being, or if it's merely-"

"Zexion, it's too early in the morning for one of your lectures on religious beliefs and all that shit," Axel rubbed his temples. "I respect the fact that you're probably the smartest person I know, but please, spare us for a while."

Zexion looked mildly displeased but said nothing else on the subject. A waitress came and took their order a few minutes later, and once the food came, all conversation stopped. Axel had ordered the home-style pancakes, curious as to how good they actually were. Demyx's description was relatively accurate, minus the "jizz-yourself" part. Zexion also got his daily dose of coffee, much to Axel's disgust.

"So, have you got work today?" Demyx asked Axel, taking a sip of his drink.

The redhead leaned back in his seat, stretching his back against the metal of the chair frame. "Yeah. I've got a nine to five shift at the auto shop today, but other than that, I get to be a lazy bum for a while."

"Are you still working at your brother's bar?" Zexion asked after swallowing the food in his mouth.

Axel grimaced. "Don't remind me. Reno's such a pain in the ass. I wouldn't work there if the pay wasn't so good for what little I do."

Demyx took a bite of his pancakes, looking thoughtful. "Well, he _is_ the older brother. It only makes sense that he's trying to push you a little, to make sure you succeed."

"I dunno about that. I think he just enjoys seeing me work my ass off for him," the redhead retorted, pointing his fork at his friend. "You try working there one day and see if you don't agree then."

"No thank you," Demyx shook his head. "I'm perfectly happy with my job."

"Still a free-lancing voice teacher?"

The dirty blonde man grinned. "I sure am. Zexion's actually been helping out some, playing the piano when I need somebody to accompany performances. He's really good, too."

Zexion's cheeks turned the faintest shade of pink and he hid his face behind his cup of coffee. "I'm not _that_ good, Demyx. I've only been playing for a few years."

"But you're still better than I'll ever be," his partner replied, smiling over at him. "Give me anything with strings and I can learn how to play it in a week, but piano? There's a snowball's chance in Hell I'll ever learn _that_."

"Okay, okay, you two, quit being so cute. I'll start barfing fuzzy little kittens and farting rainbows," The three of them paused for a moment to visualize that particular scenario in their minds. Axel continued after shaking his head. "So, I take it you two are going to be lounging about while I'm off working myself silly, correct?"

"On the contrary, I have work today. Demyx is the only one who gets any down time today," Zexion replied, finishing the last of his coffee. "The lab where I work is shorthanded as it is, since so many people are going home to be with their families for Thanksgiving. I'll have to work overtime, probably, but the pay is nice for extra hours."

"So you'll buy me that new TV I've been wanting for Christmas?" Demyx asked hopefully.

"We'll see." Zexion was almost knocked over when a very excited Demyx tackled him, wrapping his arms around the smaller's neck and kissing his cheek.

"That's totally a yes!"

Axel rolled his eyes. For a twenty-four-year-old, his friend sure was childish some times.

~::~

Once the three men finished their breakfast, they returned to their respective apartments to get ready to face the day. Axel sighed and flopped down on his bed, idly wondering if he could grab a couple extra hours of sleep before work. One glance at the display of the clock on his bedside table told him this was a bad idea, unless he wanted his boss to kill him for being late.

However, with a little under an hour and a half to waste before he had to leave, the redhead was clueless as to what to do with his remaining downtime. He didn't have anyone else to entertain himself like Demyx did. He hadn't for a long time, but he didn't want to think about that now. There was no point crying over spilled milk, right?

Speaking of spills, Axel was still slightly miffed by the incident with the blonde strange who had knocked him over and been such a dick about it afterwards. The redhead hadn't exactly been the picture of understanding himself, but at least he sort of halfway apologized for it. If there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was people who thought they were better than everybody else and said peons should pay to even breathe the same air. This kid was pretty damn close to Axel's stereotype of that kind of person.

He stood, sighing, and made his way through the kitchen and into the small living room adjacent to it via a second doorway. The redhead flopped down on the couch and grabbed the television remote. Before he could even turn on the TV, however, his phone began to ring. Mildly surprised, he stood and walked back to his room, picking the phone up off the receiver just before its final ring.

"Axel?"

The redhead instantly recognized the voice, and almost as quickly remembered what day it was and why this man was calling him. "Who else would it be, Saix?"

"That's a good question. Are you going to be there tonight?" the other man asked, voice low and almost monotone.

"Ten o' clock. As always. If I'm late, you can torture me a little to make up for it," Axel grimaced, glad that Saix couldn't see his face.

"Oh, believe me, I will," Saix replied coolly. "I'll see you then."

"Yeah. Later," Axel ended the call and almost flung the cordless phone at the wall. How could he have forgotten _that_, of all things? One part of him almost wanted to call Saix back and refuse to show up, lie and say he was sick, anything to get out of their little rendezvous. Another part screamed at the other and called it a plethora of unflattering names. The redhead massaged his temples, wondering if he was schizophrenic or something.

Now unable to concentrate on much else, Axel decided to take a long walk before going to work. He gathered all the necessary things he'd need for the day and then headed out, making sure to bring a jacket this time. The cool air did wonders for his head, clearing his mind and allowing him to just _live_ for a little while, to immerse himself in the familiar sounds and sights of his city. He'd grown up here, tried to move away to go to college, and then moved back because he felt too homesick. It was strange, as though the city wasn't finished with whatever it had planned for him. Axel shook his head. Cities that could manipulate their occupants' lives? He'd been hanging out with Zexion for too long.

Without realizing it, Axel's feet carried him back in the direction of the small café where he and his friends had eaten breakfast. As he walked down the sidewalk, trying not to be pushed into the street by the scores of people hurrying to work, back home, or a myriad of other places, a small piece of him almost wanted to see the blonde kid from before, although he wasn't entirely sure why. He would have loved to give the blonde a good talking to, but there had been something about him the intrigued the redhead.

"'Scuse me!" somebody called, giving Axel just enough warning to sidestep and avoid being bowled over by another person on a skateboard. The girl riding the board had long, curly brown hair that twisted halfway down her back, held back in the front by two orange clips that matched the color of her shirt. Another skateboard-riding boy followed her, his baggy red t-shirt flapping in the artificial wind crated by his momentum. Still _another_ person followed behind the first two, also blonde, but not the one from before. He was wearing baggy cargo pants and a white t-shirt overlapped with a dark beige vest.

Axel paused on the edge of the curb to watch as they disappeared into the hustle and bustle of the city. He wished he had the time to follow them and see if the stranger from before was one of their friends, but he'd hate to be late for work. His duty overcame his curiosity, and the redhead set out on a different course, heading for the auto shop where he worked part-time.

The instant he set foot in the garage, a muscular man with long black and gray hair tied back in a loose ponytail, yellow-tinged hazel eyes, and, most surprisingly, an eye patch, walked over and handed him a clipboard. "I don't know why you're here so early, but it's a good thing you are. One guy just came in with a pretty fucked up engine. I think you'll be able to handle it, though." Without another word, Axel's boss Xigbar turned around and stomped off towards another car with a nasty-looking dent in one side and a missing rear bumper.

Grinning, Axel walked over to the car's owner and began questioning him about the troubles he had been having with the car, eventually nailing the problem down to one of two things: either the battered old pick-up truck needed an entirely new engine, or it was simply a matter of replacing some tubing, getting new sparkplugs, and refilling the car's supply of anti-freeze and other necessary fluids. Forty minutes later, the car was good to go, much to Axel's amusement. The man who owned the truck had simply been overreacting; it was nothing that a regular old tune-up wouldn't have fixed.

Xigbar came up behind him and clapped him on the shoulder. "Another one who blew things out of proportion?"

"Yup. We seem to be getting them a lot lately," the redhead replied, wiping his slightly greasy hands on a rag tied to his belt. His whole work uniform was worn, but he did his best to keep it as clean as humanly possible while working in the conditions he did.

"Damn people think they know everything," his boss shook his head. "Oh well. Means more business for us, so no harm, no foul, eh?"

"As long as I get paid, I don't really care," The two men laughed before going back to their jobs. Axel was glad that Xigbar was so easy-going. He could get away with being a little bit of an idiot now and then, even if he usually knew what he was doing when it came to machines. He'd always loved to take things apart and putting them back together when he was younger, but as soon as he could use power tools, he began building things left and right, much to his parents' dismay. Axel loved knowing what made things tick, and he was going to find out some way or another once he set his mind to it.

The concentration that his job required helped him push thoughts of the blonde kid and the others on the skateboards, along with his meeting with Saix tonight, out of his mind for a while, but as soon as Xigbar said he could go home now, he was unsure how to occupy himself without going batshit crazy.

He could always go and pester Demyx for a while, he considered, but then the dirty blonde would ask him why he looked so sad, and that would lead to one very awkward conversation because Axel knew no one who could stand up to Demyx' puppy dog face, and he liked to keep his secrets… well, secret.

The redhead resorted to watching television for a few hours before breaking to make himself some dinner. Despite not feeling very hungry due to his predicament with Saix later that night, he merely heated up some leftover pizza from his dinner the day before and carried it back to the couch along with a bottle of beer. If he wasn't going to remember most of what happened tonight tomorrow, may as well start now.

"Yo, Axel! What's up?"

"Demyx! How the fuck did you get it here?" the redhead yelled in surprise as his friend flopped down on the couch next to him. "You just about gave me a fucking heart attack, man!"

"You left the door unlocked, idiot. I thought you might be lonely," Demyx replied, grinning like a maniac. "So, whatcha doing?"

Axel took a bite of his pizza and almost burned his mouth. "Ow, ow, ow, hot!" He then proceeded to lie through his teeth. "Not much now, but I've gotta meet somebody tonight. Special request from the auto shop. They need some body work done." Well, at least it wasn't _entirely_ a lie.

Demyx looked suspicious, but ignored it and stole a bite out of Axel's slice of pizza. The redhead dropped it on his plate and made a face. "Ew, now it's got Demyx cooties on it!"

"What are you, five?"

"Yes, Demyx, I am quite obviously _not_ a twenty-five-year-old with a job, his own living space, and a college degree. I'm a child that's barely even begun his schooling and depends on his parents for everything."

Demyx stared at him. "Well geez, you could've told me sooner!"

Both men burst out laughing after a moment, realizing just how ridiculous their conversation was. This wasn't all that abnormal for them, however. They had been friends since high school, and kept in touch all through college before somehow ending up living next to each other in their apartment complex. Many years of inside jokes and crazy conversations had built up between them, making their friendship a strong one. Axel was glad that Demyx could cheer him up no matter how down in the dumps he was. It was times like these when he needed it most.

"Earth to Axel!" The redhead blinked as a hand waved back and forth in front of his face.

"What?" he exclaimed in surprise.

Demyx rolled his eyes. "You totally zoned out for a second there. I was just asking you if you had any plans tomorrow. Zexion's got to go out-of-state for a few days the day after next, and I wanted to go out and eat with him again. Want to come with?"

Axel shrugged. "We'll see how tired I am in the morning. This job tonight may keep me up for a while."

"I guess you can just call me after you wake up. Just make sure it's not five in the morning again, okay?" his friend replied, smirking.

"Oh, fine. That reminds me, I never changed my alarm clock… Excuse me for a second," Axel set down his meager dinner on the coffee table and made his way back to his room. He messed with the buttons on the clock sitting on his nightstand until he thought he had it set to go off not at five, but at eight-thirty instead. Once this was done, he returned the living room to find his pizza gone and Demyx trying to pick something out of his teeth.

"Did you really just eat my dinner?"

The dirty blonde looked up at him, smiling innocently. "Well, you _did_ say it had me-cooties on it, so I did you a favor. Now you won't get sick!"

Axel rolled his eyes and returned to the kitchen to find something else to eat. He settled on making a packet of instant ramen, due only to the fact that it was quick and easy. He poured the amount of water the instructions suggested into the pot he was using and then waited for it to boil.

"Hey, you know that a watched pot never boils, right?" Demyx appeared next to him. The other man glanced at the package on the counter next to the small stove. "Ooh, I _love_ ramen! Can I have some?"

"No, Demyx," Axel rolled his eyes and sighed. "You already ate my first dinner. I need to eat _something_. You better not have touched my beer, either."

His friend wrinkled his nose in disgust. "You know I don't drink. I hate the taste of alcohol."

"Fair enough," The two men remained silent until the water was ready. Axel broke up the noodles before adding them to the water. He went back to the living room to retrieve his drink and then made his way to the kitchen again only to find Demyx raiding his pantry. "Demyx!"

"What?" The other man straightened up, a bag of potato chips and a box of vanilla wafers clutched to his chest.

"Put them back. You have food at your own house," Axel reminded him as he got out a bowl to put the ramen in. He ripped open the tiny packet with the flavoring in it and deposited the contents into the pot, stirring it a few times before grabbing a ladle out of a nearby drawer and filling up his bowl. When he turned around to set it on the table, Demyx was there making his puppy dog face at him. "Oh, fine, have it your way. You can have a _little_."

"Yay!" his friend cheered as the redhead ladled him out a bowl as well. The two men sat down and began to eat, staying relatively quiet through their meal. Axel contemplated his situation between small bites of his ramen. Demyx, however, wolfed his portion down in minutes and sat back in his chair to wait for his friend. "Something on your mind? You usually eat faster than this."

Axel glanced up at him. "No, not really. I guess I'm still kinda dazed from the early start. You know how I get when my routine gets messed up."

Demyx looked unconvinced. "Are you sure? Maybe you just need a big hug, or something."

"Not while I'm eating, I don't!" the redhead warned. "And yes, I'm sure. I just need to not wake up so early tomorrow."

"Well… if you say so," Music suddenly began playing from somewhere inside Demyx's baggy coat. The dirty blonde rummaged around in his pockets until he found his cell phone. "Hello? Yeah. Oh, really? Huh. No, I didn't know. Okay. I'll be over there in half an hour, then. Yeah. Bye."

Axel cocked an eyebrow as Demyx replaced his cell phone in one of his pockets. "What was that about?"

"Turns out one of my students had to move their lesson up a couple of days because they're going out of town when it was supposed to be," Demyx explained as he carried his empty bowl over to the sink and deposited it within. "I've got to go meet up with her soon, so I'll see you later, okay? Try not to stay up too late."

Axel chuckled. "Yes, Mother."

"Oh, shut up!"

The redhead stared at the door to his apartment for a few moments after it closed. He still had a good two hours until he was supposed to meet up with Saix. How was he going to entertain himself now? He sighed and finished his meal before returning to the living room and sinking into the couch. He almost dozed off several times, but managed to wake himself up before he got too deep in the realm of sleep.

"I'm gonna regret this in the morning…" he sighed as he went to get ready for his little excursion. He exchanged his t-shirt for a tight black tank top and threw on a leather jacket so he didn't freeze in the cold night air. He left his hair as it was, still in its braid from earlier that day.

Axel paused before stepping out of his apartment. He took several deep breaths to try and calm himself. This was just good business, wasn't it? Saix needed something, he needed something, and they could give it to each other. Throw away all your morals and values for a night, and you can keep your livelihood going, at least for a little while longer.

The sun had already set by the time Axel left his apartment and took to the streets. The city lights made it almost as bright as day on the main streets, though, and he was able to traverse them without any incidents. He glanced up at the sky as a rumble of thunder passed overhead. He sky was choked with thick gray clouds, threatening rain on the people out and about. He grimaced and continued on his way, hoping that the bottom wouldn't drop out before he made it to his destination.

The sky, however, seemed to think he needed a good shower. About three blocks away from where he was supposed to meet Saix, the rain started coming down hard and fast, drumming into the pavement and anyone unlucky enough to be caught out in it. Axel ran for the nearest shelter, a small awning on a storefront a few feet ahead. Once under the cover, Axel shook out his hair and wiped off what water he could reach from his jacket.

A few seconds later, another figure burst out of the curtain of rain and stumbled under the awning, showering more water over Axel as the other person shook themselves.

"Hey, what's the-… Wait a second, you're the guy that ran into me this morning!" Axel stared at the stranger in shock.

"Hmph. Never thought I'd see you again," the blonde replied, grimacing as he wiped droplets of water off of his face. His hair was drooping considerably under the weight of the water, but he shook his head and shed some of it. "Stupid rain. I bet my board's gonna be ruined."

"I don't think you should be worrying about your skateboard," Axel said, glancing at the stranger's soaked clothing, "unless you just got it painted or something."

"I didn't, but I still don't want it to get fucked up."

Silence reigned for several minutes after this. The rain continued to pound into the ground, showing no signs of letting up in the near future. Axel occasionally glanced up at the stranger to see that he was staring intently at his forehead. As weird as that was, he decided not to question it.

"Hey, I'm sorry about this morning," Axel finally said, not able to bare the awkward silence any longer.

"Good. I could've smashed my head in or something because of you," the blonde responded, wringing out the bottom hem of his shirt.

"What, no apology from you? I could've gotten hurt too, you know!" Axel bristled at the blonde's arrogant manner. "Look, kid, you need to learn to respect your elders!"

"First of all, you're the one that was standing there like an idiot. Second, I am _not_ a kid, thank you very much. I'm twenty-two; only three years younger than you."

The redhead stared at him. "But how did you know how old I am? That's… You're not stalking me, are you?"

The other man sneered at him. "Honestly, you're not interesting enough to stalk, from what I've seen so far. I don't waste my time on boring things. As for how I knew… Well, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"I'd rather not," the stranger replied. "You already seem to dislike me more than enough… I don't think I want to stoke the fire."

Axel snorted. "What, do you know _more_ about me?"

"Yes. You're a prostitute, aren't you?"

Without missing a beat, despite his shock, the redhead retorted, "Only part-time. And don't think I'm going to give you anything."

"Oh, believe me, I don't want anything from you. I, unlike some people, have standards."

Axel whipped round to face the blonde, mouth curled into a snarl. "What I do to keep myself living comfortably is none of your business, you freak! I'm already working two jobs and I can barely make ends meet some months, okay? I bet you've got parents that are rich as fuck and give you every little thing you could ever want."

The stranger looked taken aback by Axel's outburst. He cringed away from him, pressing himself against the window of the building they were in front of. "I-I'm sorry! Really! Yeah, my parents are rich, but I can support myself just fine. And I'm not a freak or a kid. My _name_ is Roxas, got it?"

"Roxas," Axel like the way it rolled off his tongue. "Well, I guess I can forgive you. But really, how the _shit_ do you know so much about me?"

"Really, you wouldn't believe me."

"Really, I think I can take it."

Roxas sighed. "Fine then. You know what magic and spells are, right?"

Axel stared at him. "You're joking, right?"

"See? I knew you wouldn't believe me," the blonde man folded his arms over his chest and turned away. "I'm perfectly serious. I used this thing called an ouija board to find out… it seems like somewhere near your apartment is haunted, because the spirit I came in contact with told me a whole lot about you."

"No offense, but… you're really creepy, you know that?"

Roxas gave him a quirky little half-smile. "I embrace it."

Another silence stretched on for a few minutes. The blonde boy suddenly looked up and grinned. "Hey, the rain stopped! Finally. I need to get home," He made as if to leave and then turned back to Axel. "You. Ginger. Do you have something I can write on?"

"Um… I might. Hold on a second," Axel searched his pockets until he came up with a napkin that was in relatively good shape. He handed it to the blonde and watched with mild interest as he took out an eyeliner pencil and scribbled something on it before handing it back.

"I've decided that you might just be interesting enough to be worth my time. Feel free to call me."

"That name's Axel, by the way! Get it memorized!" the redhead called after Roxas as he pushed off from the pavement and started coasting down the street on his skateboard. The blonde turned around and gave him a grin and a thumbs-up signal before disappearing around a corner.

Axel stared at the spot where he had been lost from view for a moment before shaking his head in wonder and turning to head on to his rendezvous spot. This kid who wasn't actually a kid sure was weird. Maybe he _would_ call him some time.

Axel arrived at the corner where he was supposed to meet Saix just minutes before the other man walked up. The redhead grinned at the blue-haired man as he stopped in front of him. "Right on time. I was starting to get worried."

"Too bad you were here early. I was looking forwards to a little torturing," Saix responded, his amber eyes cold and calculating.

"No such luck tonight, my friend," Axel grinned again. "Maybe next time."

"Perhaps," Saix grinned back, showing his abnormally sharp canines. "Let's go. I'm sure you'd like to get home and get some sleep once we're done."

Saix took Axel back to his apartment and proceeded to strip Axel down as soon as they made it to the bedroom. The redhead tried not to think about what he was doing as Saix teased and tortured him until he could feel tears squeezing out of the corners of his eyes. He just concentrated on the large amount the other man usually paid him for his services as Saix fucked him into the mattress, leaving fingernails tracks in his back and bite marks on his neck. He ignored the fact that he probably wasn't going to be able to walk in the morning as Saix let him use his shower to clean up and then handed him his money before walking him back to where they had met.

Axel felt terrible about all of this, it was true, but how else was he going to keep his life from falling apart? He couldn't let his guilt get in the way of living like he wanted to. As he limped back towards his own apartment, he took out the napkin with Roxas's phone number on it, stowed safely in a hidden pocket on the inside of his leather jacket, and stared at it for a few moments. He smirked down at it for a fleeting instant before replacing it. This Roxas kid was interesting. Maybe he would call him tomorrow.

~::~

**Author's Note**: I would absolutely love to hear some feedback from you people reading this. I've never written a horror story before, so I'm a bit new to this... Any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated, especially as I get to the scarier stuff later on. Review please?


	2. Monochrome

**Author's Note: **First of all, thanks to everyone who reviewed on the first chapter! It means a lot to me that you take the time to do it. In this chapter, Axel gets the living daylights scared out of him and his brother abuses his power as his boss. Things are gonna start getting interesting pretty soon...

~::~

_People often discredit things which they cannot see or hear or feel for themselves as being false. Ghost stories are never taken literally by most; they are discarded and degraded as just fantasy stories to scare little children off to bed. Magic is merely wishful thinking on humanity's part. All of the strange happenings in the world can be described by the miracle that is modern science. That is, until the stories wish to make themselves known._

~::~

The first thing Axel registered when he woke up the next morning was that his ass was incredibly sore. He groaned and rolled over onto his chest, massaging his aching backside. He hadn't expected it to be _quite_ this bad, but he deserved it, he supposed. He glanced at his clock to see that his alarm had failed to wake him up at the time it was supposed to, which was almost an hour ago now.

The redhead sighed, battling with himself over whether he should get up and take some aspirin or sleep a few more hours. His aching backside eventually won out, and he dragged himself out from under the covers of his bed and into the kitchen. He swallowed two of the red-orange pills, hoping they would work fast enough so that he could sit down without screaming.

Unsure what else to do until the medicine took effect, Axel limped to his bathroom and stripped so he could take a shower. At one point, he glanced over his shoulder to see that there were long, shallow scratches down the length of his back, courtesy of Saix's abnormally sharp nails. He winced and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water wash away some of his fatigue. The aspirin was already starting to help by the time he emerged from the shower and started to dry himself off. He walked back to his room in his towel and grabbed a random pair of jeans and a t-shirt from one of his dresser drawers to change into. After doing this, he returned to the kitchen to eat breakfast.

"Damnit, Saix, why do you have to be so rough?" he groaned as he sat down in one of the wooden kitchen chairs with his food in hand. His backside still felt like it was on fire, but at least he could stand it for a short time. If he focused on not burning his mouth on his tea and oatmeal, then it made it bearable.

Just as he was finishing, the telephone rang. Axel set his dishes in the sink and limped to his room. "Hello?" he said into the receiver as he picked up.

"Axel? Hey, I was wondering when you'd wake up," Demyx's voice answered him. "I called about half an hour ago, but I guess you were still asleep."

"Yeah, sorry about that. My alarm failed to wake me up. I'm still exhausted from last night. It was a bigger job than I thought it would be," the redhead said apologetically.

"That's okay. I guess you probably don't want to come with me and Zexion then, huh?" Demyx tried not to sound disappointed.

Axel was about to give him a reassuring smile when he remembered that Demyx couldn't actually see him. "I wish I could, but I think you two should go out and have a fun time. I'd just slow you down. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Well… Okay. Bye." Demyx ended the call.

Axel replaced the phone before collapsing face-first on his bed with a groan. He wanted to go back to sleep so badly. He was off work on Sunday anyways, but he felt like he should get _something_ done with his time instead of wasting it all. When he glanced at his leather jacket, lying in a crumpled heap on the floor nearby, he remembered his meeting with Roxas. Wincing, he stood and walked over to it so he could pick it up. He searched the pockets for a moment before finding the napkin with Roxas's number on it. He then retrieved the phone and sat gingerly on his bed.

Only one ring after he dialed the number, Roxas answered. "Hello?"

"Um… Hey. It's Axel, the guy from last night?"

"Oh. Hey," Roxas sounded mildly surprised when he responded. A loud yell issued from somewhere on the other end of the line. "Shit. Excuse me for one second. Hayner! Pence! Shut the _fuck_ up! I'm on the phone!"

There was a burst of static and a new voice said, "Who're you talking to, Roxas? Did you finally get yourself a girlfriend or something?"

"Hayner, piss off!" Roxas growled. There was another burst of static and then the blonde seemed to have control over the phone again. "Sorry about that. My friends are being dicks."

"Correction: Hayner and Pence are being dicks! I didn't do anything!" a female voice called.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry, Olette," Axel imagine that the blonde was rolling his eyes. "So, my friends told me they saw somebody who looked like you yesterday, about the place where we had our little… accident."

"The group on the skateboards? Yeah, they almost ran into me, too," Axel replied, smirking to himself. "Your little group seems to be making that a habit."

"Well, anyways, how about you come hang out with us? I'd like to get to know you, I think. You're… interesting."

"As weird as that sounds, okay. Time and place, please?"

"My friends are usually less annoying after eating something, so how about one o' clock at the skate park five blocks from your apartment?" Roxas suggested.

"…there's a skate park around here?"

"Yes, right next to the magical kingdom full of fairies and unicorns and girly shit like that," Axel could almost feel the sarcasm of Roxas's words through the phone. "Go three blocks north and two east and you'll find it. It's kinda hard to miss. We're usually there any day we don't have work."

"Okay. I guess I'll see you then," the redhead said.

"I guess so," Roxas's words sounded as if they had a grin accompanying them. "Oh, and I promise we won't make you do any skateboard tricks or anything. I'm sure your ass hurts like hell." The line went dead, and Axel stared at the phone for a moment in wonder. This kid's observational skills were either really, really good, or there something more to the whole magic thing he'd mentioned the night before.

Axel shook his head. Some people nowadays were just downright strange.

~::~

One o' clock saw Axel full from a late lunch and almost late to arrive at the skate park Roxas had directed him to. He immediately spotted the group of four lounging on the far side of the concrete slab adorned with various ramps and other items to perform tricks on. The redhead opened the gate on the chain link fence surrounding it and avoided several other skateboarders as he made his way over to them.

Roxas, who was lying down on top of one of the ramps with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed, greeted Axel when he walked up despite not having seen who it was. "Hey. I was wondering when you'd show up. I almost thought you'd bail."

"But how did you know…" Axel shook his head in amazement and nodded to the rest of his little group. "Hi. I'm Axel, Roxas's new… friend."

"I'm Hayner," said the other blonde, who was wearing khaki pants and a dark blue sweatshirt instead of his camouflage cargo pants and vest. He hopped off of his perch on the railing on top of another ramp nearby. He walked over to Axel and had to crane his neck to see his face. "Shit, are you tall."

"Um… Thanks?" The redhead scratched the back of his head.

The girl, Olette, chided Hayner. "You idiot, be nice! How would you like it if somebody came up to you and said something about your hair?" The other blonde grumbled a string of obscenities and pawed at his hair. Obviously she had hit a sore nerve.

The remaining boy who had refrained from speaking, who Axel took to be Pence, rolled his eyes. "Chill out, Hayner. Your hair's cool, man."

Roxas sniggered and sat up as Hayner glared at Pence and continued to fix the nonexistent problem. "What a dumbass."

Axel stood there feeling very awkward. This was obviously a tight-knit circle, and he knew he didn't belong. As the four friends joked with one another, he took a moment to take in Roxas's appearance. The blonde's ensemble was still all black, but today he was weary baggy cargo pants much like Hayner's from the day before, a fitted black t-shirt, and a black trench coat with rips up both sleeves. He had less belts secured around his waist, but his neck was adorned with a thick, black leather choker covered in metal studs, and two chains, one with a silver cross attached to it and the other a small circle of wood with a pentagram engraved in it.

"Sorry if it seems like we're ignoring you," Axel snapped back to reality when Roxas spoke to him. "My friends are just being stupid again."

"Says you!" Hayner retorted. "Apparently my hair is a mess and nobody told me before we left your place!"

"Your hair is _fine_. Seriously. We would've told you if it wasn't, believe me," Roxas rolled his eyes and turned back to Axel, patting the empty space on top of the ramp next to him. "You can sit down if you want."

The redhead took the invitation, climbing up the ladder to sit beside the blonde boy. He glanced down at him, surprised by how short he still was, even sitting down. The other three began quarreling amongst themselves about something, and Axel took the opportunity to ask Roxas something that had been bugging him for the past few minutes. "Hey, I'm curious… Since you've never met me before yesterday, why do you trust me enough to let me hang out with you and your friends? I could've been a homicidal psychopath for all you know."

"But you're not," Roxas said simply, not looking at him. "I knew you weren't pretty much from the moment we met."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. One, you don't look like it, and two, it's not in your aura," the blonde said matter-of-factly, as if Axel knew what he were talking about. "You're very… orange. I'm not used to seeing one as intense as yours. That's what intrigued me."

The redhead looked down at his hands. "I'm not orange. What are you talking about?"

Roxas gave him that quirky little half-smile again. "You've got a lot to learn."

Axel was starting to get exasperated with the other man. He wasn't the most patient person in the world, but this was ridiculous. "Well, you'd better start now if you want to keep _me_ around because if I get too confused, I'll leave."

"Hmm. We can't have that, can we?" Roxas chewed his lip thoughtfully. Axel noticed that he had two tiny silver studs on either side of his mouth. What were they called again? Snake bites, or something like that? The redhead wondered if he ever got food stuck on them. "What I mean by aura is the energy field that every human being has around them. There are different colors, like orange, blue, green, and so on, but they all tell me something about the person. Yours is predominantly orange with a little bit of dark yellow around the very edges. That means you're a very strong-willed person, but either you've got a lot of pain in your life or you need anger management."

Axel was dumbfounded. "And how exactly do you see this… aura thing?"

"Stay really, really still for a second," Axel obeyed. Roxas stared at his forehead for what seemed like an eternity before he allowed him to move again. "Yup. Very orange. I can see it around you when I stare at your forehead. It has to do with the whole energy flow in the human body."

"Um… Okay. I'll take your word for that."

"What, you don't believe me?" Roxas stared up at him innocently.

Axel fought back the strange urge to lick his nose and see if he tasted like candy. "It's not that I _don't_ believe you… I'm just not sure _what_ to think. I've never been a huge believer in all of that paranormal, magic-related stuff. Neither have I believed much in 'higher powers' and all that shit."

"Ah. I take it you're agnostic, then?"

"Yes, and you're a Wicca."

Roxas grinned, his hand moving to grasp the little wooden charm strung around his neck. "Ah, so you noticed. I hope that's not a problem?"

"Nah. It just might take some convincing to get me to really believe you. I've been an agnostic since I was sixteen," Axel replied. "So, if you're Wiccan, do you do all of the rituals and stuff that go along with it? Which pantheon of gods do you believe in? What's your aura color? Am I asking too many questions?"

Roxas laughed. "No, I don't mind. Like I said, you're interesting. I may as well answer them to keep you around a while longer. Yes, I do celebrate all of the holidays and perform the rituals associated with them such as most of my kind do. Honestly, I don't believe in one specific pantheon, but I _do_ believe that there are a God and a Goddess over all the others. As for my aura color… Well, I'd rather you try and see it for yourself."

"Oh, come on, I don't know how," Axel whined. "Please tell me?"

"Just stare at my forehead and see if you can notice any colors around the edges of your vision. It may take some practice, but I think you can do it," the blonde replied with a reassuring smile.

Axel grumbled under his breath but did as he was told, focusing on what he thought was the center of Roxas's forehead. They sat there for several minutes, but Axel could see nothing. He voiced his distaste loudly. "Oh, come on! Why can't I see the damn thing?"

"You mind isn't open enough, I think. Maybe you'll see it another day," Roxas mused. "Hey, Olette! What time is it?"

The brunette girl looked up from her perch atop a ramp a few feet away. She glanced at her watch and replied, "Almost two. Why?"

"Just wondering. Where did Hayner and Pence go?"

Olette shrugged. "Probably racing again, knowing them. I wouldn't worry too much."

"Probably. It's my job to worry, I'm the oldest!" Roxas called back.

Axel felt his backside starting to grow sore again and decided he'd rather lie down than have to go through more unnecessary pain. He leaned back until his head touched whatever material the ramp beneath him was made out if and folded his hands behind his head as Roxas had done earlier. This position eased the tension on his nether regions, and he let out a sigh of relief.

"Mind if I join you?"

Axel turned his head to see that Roxas had followed his example. "Whatever. I doubt your ass is as sore as mine is, though. I have a legitimate reason for doing this. You're just lazy."

"I can assure you it's not. I haven't slept with anyone since the last Ice Age came around," the blonde said wistfully. "And I'm _not_ lazy. This stuff isn't the most comfortable to sit on in the first place, in case you hadn't noticed."

Axel grunted noncommittally and closed his eyes, trying to will away the ache that was plaguing him. It wasn't too bad outside when the wind wasn't blowing at full speed. The cold air numbed the pain a bit as Axel just lay there and hoped he wouldn't fall asleep.

What seemed like only a few moments later, the redhead felt something poking his stomach and he tried to swat it away. His hand came in contact with another hand and he opened his eyes only to see Roxas not four inches from his face, staring down at him with his big blue eyes.

"Is he dead…? Oh, look, he opened his eyes!" the blonde announced to his friends, who were also crouching around Axel.

"Shit, did I fall asleep?" Axel groaned as he Roxas moved out of his way so he could sit up. "What time is it?"

"Two-forty-five, now," Olette answered. "You were out cold."

"Man, I must've been really entertaining when I was asleep. Roxas, why the hell were you in my face like that?" Axel rubbed his lower back, which was now also sore from remaining motionless on the hard surface of the ramp.

"I was just making sure you were still breathing. We literally shouted at you and you didn't wake up," the blonde replied, chuckling at the memory. "But I figured after last night, you probably needed the sleep. Did your client keep you up?"

Roxas's friends all stared at him. "Roxas, you brought home a _prostitute?_" Pence gasped.

"I'm not a prostitute, I merely sell my body to make a little extra money," Axel deadpanned.

Hayner's face was the picture of confusion. "Wait a sec… But… isn't that the same thing…?"

"You're an idiot," Roxas scoffed, giving the other blonde a playful punch in the shoulder that knocked him over.

"Well, look at it this way: if Roxas thought he was okay to be around, then we've probably got nothing to worry about, guys. When was the last time he was wrong about somebody?"

Hayner scowled at Roxas as he sat up. "He was wrong when he said he punched like a girl. Damnit, that hurt!"

"Shut up, you wuss," Roxas retorted. "Take it like a man."

Axel sat there as the four friends proceeded to get into another quarrel concerning who was the manliest of them all. He wasn't sure which amazed him more, the fact that they could stay on a subject like that for almost fifteen minutes, or that fact that Olette ended up winning.

Finally Roxas left the conversation and went to sit down next to Axel again. "I apologize for ignoring you again. It's hard to get out of one of our little fights without some serious maneuvering."

"I understand. Me and my own friends can be like that sometimes. Silly little things explode into huge, ridiculous conversations that are just impossible to end," Axel replied. After a few moments of silence, he changed the subject. "So, I'd like to know… is there any other reason for you wanting to see me again other than thinking I'm… interesting?"

Roxas thought for a few moments. His half-smile returned for a split second before he replied, "I have absolutely no idea. There's just… something about you. I dunno what it is."

"My stunning good looks, maybe?" Axel smiled when this earned a laugh from Roxas. "Or maybe my apparent lack of the ability to walk down a street without the threat of imminent danger hanging over my head?"

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Yeah, how about none of the above? I honestly don't know. I just get these… gut feelings, instincts, whatever you want to call them. Like Olette said, they're generally right."

"So what did your instincts say about me?" Axel cocked an eyebrow as he glanced at the blonde.

Roxas met his eyes, blue gazing solemnly into green. "In general? This guy's okay, even if he doesn't look it, and he might make a good friend. Specifically? Well, I'm sure you'll figure that out on your own."

Axel groaned. "Oh, come on. Do you have some weird fetish for torturing people by withholding information from them? Because it's working."

Roxas snorted with laughter. "Ha, yeah right. I don't mean to, trust me. It's just in my nature to be secretive, I guess. I'm not trying to torture you. Believe me, if I was, you'd know it."

Axel stared at him. "Okay, remind me to never get on your bad side. I'm quite sure I'd regret it."

The smile Roxas gave him could only be described as demonic. "Oh, believe me, you would."

Axel laughed nervously. "Uh… So… Please tell me?"

Before the blonde could respond, Olette jogged up holding several bottles of water. She threw a few up to Roxas and then shot him a thankful smile before running off to find Hayner and Pence again. Axel and Roxas took one look at the water before grabbing one bottle a piece and gulping down the contents greedily.

Once he had swallowed his mouthful of water, Roxas wiped the back of his mouth with his hand and set the bottle down. "Well, if you must insist that I tell you…"

Axel stared at him eagerly. "Yeah?"

"If your ass didn't pain you so, I'd show you."

The redhead spit out the water in his mouth in a spray of droplets. He coughed several times before managing to gasp out, "Say _what?_ You're joking, right?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Roxas said flatly, without a hint of a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "I don't joke around about things like this. If you're not going to take it seriously, then I have no reason to continue talking about it."

The blonde made as if to stand and descend the ladder that led up to he top of the ramp, but Axel grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "No, I'm sorry, I'm just… surprised that came out and said it so honestly like that. Not many people I know would do that."

Roxas gazed at him, his blue eyes seeming to pierce the redhead down to his soul. "I'll take that as a compliment. But what do I have to lose from telling you? Either the feelings are reciprocated or they're not. Simple as that."

"Life's not always so black and white."

"Depends on who's looking," the blonde replied, turning his face away from the redhead.

Axel wasn't sure what hidden nerve he had touched, but he tried to assuage the situation by placing a hand on the other man's shoulder. "Hey, I'm sorry, whatever I said wrong. This is just… strange, for me. I haven't been in love or even really bothered with any new relationships in… well, in years. I don't know how to handle this."

The blonde glanced over his shoulder at the hand lying there. "Hmm. Well, I'll tell you what: let's hang out everyday for the next week, whenever we have time, and we can see how you feel by the end of that."

"A week," Axel withdrew his hand and crossed his arms over his chest. "You're expecting me to make a decision like that in a week."

"I made it in less than five seconds," Roxas replied. "I think a week is more than enough time."

The redhead snorted in disbelief. "You're _kidding_ me. Look, kid, not everybody has these weird gut feeling things like you. The rest of us have to work to make our choices without fucking everything up."

The other man's blank expression darkened into a scowl. Axel immediately knew he'd said something wrong and hoped that Roxas wasn't about to chew him out. However, instead of the tongue-lashing he was expecting, the blonde's face shifted back after a moment and he said calmly, "Alright. If you think you need more time, I'll give you a month to make up your mind. How does that sound?"

"A month. You'd wait that long for me?"

The sarcasm was apparently lost on Roxas, who looked ecstatic. "So you'll do it?"

Axel sighed. "I guess so. I've got nothing to lose either way. Just to let you know, though, I work two jobs other than my occasional illegal excursions, so if you work too, it'll be hard to coordinate schedules."

"I'm currently house-sitting for my brother, so I'm free whenever, and yes, that includes the middle of the night, if we're forced to do that."

"So… We're really going to see each other… every day… for a whole month?" Axel asked, unsure of how they would be able to stand one another by the end of the allotted time.

"That is the general idea of my little plan, yes," Roxas's face broke into a grin. "I sure hope you can keep up with me, ginger!" The blonde man leapt up and hopped onto his skateboard, lying a few feet behind him. With a wild laugh, he launched himself down the ramp and sped off towards the ground.

"What do you mean, keep up-… Hey! No fair!" Axel scrambled down the ladder and tried to catch up with him, but the laughing blonde was halfway across the park before Axel could even run ten feet. The redhead gave up and sat down on the edge of a piece of trick equipment nearby, shaking his head. This was gonna be a long month.

Olette rolled to a stop on her skateboard next to him. "Hey, Roxas just told me about his plan. I just want to let you know now… I don't think you know what you're getting yourself into."

"What, is he gonna end up turning me into his personal voodoo doll or something if I end up saying I don't love him at the end of the month?" The sarcastic smirk on Axel's face faded as he realized that the brunette girl wasn't laughing. "Oh, _shit_. He wouldn't seriously do that, would he?"

Olette chewed her lip thoughtfully. "He's… different. I'm not sure how to describe him other than that. He takes what he does seriously, and he doesn't lie, either, so don't think anything he tells you is fabricated or just a sham. I'd watch my step around him, if I were you. Oh. Also, he likes blueberry, in case he ever asks what you think his favorite flavor is. Good luck!"

Axel stared after her in dismay as Olette pushed off from the concrete and went to join Hayner and Pence on one of the ramps nearby. Roxas suddenly whipped around a corner and skidded to a halt a few feet in front of the redhead, nearly giving him a heart attack.

"Shit, man, don't _do_ things like that," Axel gasped, clutching his chest. "I think you nearly killed me."

Roxas smirked at him. "Just don't wet your pants from fright. That's a major turn-off."

"Like I would do that," Axel scoffed, standing up. He towered over the blonde man. "Look, I probably need to get home. My friends are probably wondering where the hell I am."

"No they're not. They were going out to lunch or something, right? They're most likely back at one of their apartments fucking," the blonde replied, craning his neck backwards to look up into Axel's eyes.

The redhead backed up, severely creeped out. "Okay, how the _hell_ do you know that? I'm pretty sure I never mentioned Demyx and Zexion's plans, let alone the fact that they're in a relationship together."

Roxas tilted his head to the side, his half-smile dancing across his lips. He looked like one of those porcelain dolls that everyone always seemed to deem incredibly creepy. "You don't need to tell me, remember? I know so much about you already. Your apartment is haunted, by the way. You might want to get it exorcised."

Axel's jaw hit the pavement. "_Haunted?_ Stop fucking with me, man. It's not funny."

Roxas's eyebrows furrowed. "You don't believe me?"

"I… Honestly, no. I've never noticed anything funky going on," the redhead replied nervously. "Look, I really think I need to get home now. I need to go check and see if this… ghost, or whatever the fuck, has been watching me in the shower."

"You _don't_ believe me!" Roxas snarled. "Fine, then, we'll see how much faith you have in me tomorrow morning!" The blonde stomped off, leaving Axel with a lingering feeling of dread that weighed him down all the way back to his apartment.

~::~

Axel couldn't bring himself to go to sleep that night, despite his aching head screaming for rest and his backside screaming at him to take an aspirin and a sleeping pill and just get it over with already, damnit. Roxas's last statement still rang in his ears, and despite his skeptic attitude towards everything the blonde man said he could do, the redhead was terrified for some reason.

"Idiot," he muttered after he double-checked his closet, under his bed, and every other place that anything strange could be hiding. "None of that shit's real. None at all. Just go to sleep. It's almost fucking midnight, and you've got work tomorrow."

The redhead gauged the distance between his bed and his nightstand carefully before turning off his lamp and diving headlong for the safety of his covers, landing face-first in them with a muffled grunt. He chided himself inwardly for being so easily scared and slid under the sheets, settling himself after a few moments. He stared into the blackness above his head for what seemed like ages until his eyelids began to droop of their own accord.

Axel's eyes snapped open again as something rustled across the room. Cold fingers of dread raked themselves down his back, making him shiver. He sat up, only to look down and see that his body was still motionless, eyes closed in peaceful slumber. The redhead tried to scream at his body to wake up, there was something in the room with him, but no response was forthcoming.

A low growl emanated from the darkness near the far wall of the bedroom. A pair of glowing red eyes blinked open and locked onto Axel's, causing him to freeze in terror. A hideous creature stepped forwards into the shafts of moonlight streaming through the blinds on the window. Its oily black fur was matted and unkempt, marred by numerous scratches and what looked like open wounds still oozing blood. One of its ears was in shreds, and a long scar ran from the base of the tattered ear to the tip of the enormous wolf's muzzle, the pink flesh contrasting sharply with the black fur. It growled again, baring six-inch fangs in a grotesque, feral grin.

_Shit, shit, shit, this thing is gonna kill me_. Axel could barely think straight anymore, watching helplessly as the nightmare creature padded closer to his prone form, still lying asleep in bed. The black wolf paused when it reached the side of the bed where the redhead's body was, tilting its head back to meet Axel's eyes.

"_Do you believe me now?_"

Axel screamed as the thing pounced, and promptly rolled out of bed and slammed his head into the floor. He lay there for a few moments, heart pounding, trying desperately to even out his breathing. That _thing_ had spoken to him in Roxas's voice. Maybe the blonde wasn't just being overly dramatic… Axel shook his head. Who was he kidding? One nightmare did not equate to some guy he barely even knew having paranormal powers… did it?

"Um, Axel… Are you okay?" The redheaded man looked up to see a very confused Demyx standing over him.

"Demyx. Nightmare. I'm okay," Axel gasped for breath as he sat up, massaging the spot on his head where it collided with the floor. "How… How did you get in here?"

Demyx helped him stand up and sit down on the edge of his bed. "I found the extra key to this place you gave me a few months ago in one of my shoes. I heard you screaming your head off, and I came running, just like any best friend would do. What was your nightmare about?"

Axel, who previously slumped forwards with his face in his hands, sat straight up. "Shit. Roxas. One second, Demyx, I've gotta call someone."

The redhead walked over to the phone and picked it up so he could dial in Roxas's number. The blonde man answered on the third ring this time. "What do you want, Axel?" he sounded like he had been rudely awakened.

"I… I believe you now," the redhead whimpered, recalling the image of the horrific creature from his nightmare. "When are we gonna see each other today?"

"Hmm. I knew you'd see things my way before long," the other man purred. "Come to the skate park after you get off work. I'll be waiting." The call ended, leaving Axel staring at the phone in his hand in utter astonishment.

Demyx came over to him. "Hey, you sure you're okay? You look like you just saw a ghost or something, man."

"Oh, you have no idea, Demyx. No idea."

Four hours, a shower, and a large breakfast later saw Axel running helter-skelter down the streets of New York, desperate to get to his brother's bar, the White Rabbit, on time. Mere moments before his shift began, the redheaded man barreled in through the doorway, scaring the living daylights out of a few customers seated nearby.

"Axel, you're late," Another redheaded man standing behind the counter said coldly as he cleaned a wineglass.

"I am _not_," Axel replied, stalking over to the counter. He pointed to the clock hanging on the wall behind his brother's back. "Look, I still have ten whole seconds to spare!"

Reno looked up at him, blue eyes sparkling with amusement, although he managed to keep a straight face. "Not by my watch. Says here you're three whole minutes late. You know what that means…"

"Oh, no, anything but that!" Axel cowered as his brother grinned menacingly at him over the counter. "Please! I won't be late again for a month!"

"Sorry, bro, somebody's gotta do it."

A very pissed-off Axel spent the next two hours cleaning the bathrooms and washing the dishes of the small bar. He spent much of the time muttering dire threats under his breath as to what terrible fates might befall his brother Reno if he ever did this to him again, although he knew that he could never pull off any of them without serious consequences. After all, it was illegal to murder someone and then provoke a herd of bison to stampede over the corpse.

Finally, Axel managed to finish the jobs he had been saddled with and reported back to Reno, wondering if he would ever get the stench of ammonia out of his clothes. "Ah, that took much less time than I thought it would. Good work. Go see if the kitchen staff needs any help. Oh, and send Rude out here to me. I need to talk to him."

Axel nodded and went to obey his boss's orders, choking back a small snigger as he did so. _Bro, you really need to get laid if you're _this _cranky._ There were rumors amongst the staff that Reno and Rude were involved as more than just business partners, but no one ever talked about it within earshot of them for fear of one of the two men either firing them or beating them to a bloody pulp.

The redhead spotted Rude as soon as he entered the kitchen. "Yo, Rude! Reno wants to talk to you."

Rude turned to look at him, one eyebrow raised. "What, did he set something on fire again?"

"Ah, no, not this time," Axel smirked, recalling that particular accident a few weeks earlier. "He just said he wants to talk to you. I dunno why."

Rude, still looking mildly surprised, nodded and walked past Axel and out of the kitchen. The redhead sniggered at the thought of what his brother might be asking.

"Axel," a quiet voice called from behind a rack of pots a few feet away as the redhead walked further into the kitchen, "will you please come here? I need your help with something."

"Sure, Aerith, what's up?" he walked over to stand beside the woman who called out to him.

Aerith smiled sweetly, wiping sweat off of her brow. "I need you to go and get some things out of the pantry for me. I can't leave the stove right now or this food will boil over. Do you mind?"

The redhead grinned back at her. "Of course not. What do you need?" The brunette woman listed off the ingredients she required, and then Axel walked through the room to the storage area in the back. He was happy to do a small favor or two for Aerith because she acted as a sort of mother figure for him and many of his friends, whereas he despised his brother for making him do everything and anything he asked.

"Thank you, dear," Aerith said gratefully as Axel set down the items she had requested on the counter next to her and the pot that was boiling away in front of her. "I don't think anyone else needs any help in here, so you can go back and tell your brother to stop bossing you around for once."

"How'd you know I was being bullied again?" Axel asked sarcastically, giving her a small wave as he re-entered the main room of the bar. Reno looked mildly surprised when he walked up. "Before you ask, only Aerith needed anything. Also, she said to stop being a dick and bullying me around, although in… much nicer words."

Reno snorted and said, "Fine. I guess you can go wait tables, then. Just don't spill anything if you value your manhood."

The younger redhead gulped and glanced down at his crotch. "Uh… Okay, boss, no spills, go wait tables. Got it!" He ran off to get a pen and a pad of paper, Reno's chuckles ringing in his ears.

Axel was relieved when his shift finally ended and his brother let him go. The redhead checked his watch, wondering if he had time to go take a shower before he met up with Roxas. Deciding that the blonde would probably already know that he smelled like ammonia and other cleaning supplies, he continued on to the skate park, hoping the exhaust fumes from the countless cars on the roads would cover it.

Roxas was waiting for him in the same spot as the day before. However, his friends were no where in sight. The blonde had his back to Axel as he walked up, but still greeted him before the redhead was able to say anything. "Right on time."

"You really need to stop doing that. It creeps me out," Axel replied, climbing the ladder to reach the top of the ramp where the blonde man was standing.

The numerous pieces of jewelry adorning Roxas's body tinkled as he turned to face him, his lips curled in his little half-smile. "You'd better get used to it. I get the feeling you're gonna be around for a long time."

"Are you psychic or something?" Axel asked as he sat down on the edge of the platform.

Roxas sat beside him, grinning. "I guess you could say that. I get help from my ouija board and stuff like that, but yes, to some extent, I guess you could say I am."

"Great. I'm hanging out with a guy who has psychic powers, knows more about me than I do, and seems to have a thing for being creepy as hell," When Axel saw Roxas's eyes narrow, he realized that he had said it out loud instead of just thinking it. "Shit. Sorry. I can't control my stupid mouth sometimes."

"Hmph. I guess I understand. Hayner's like that a lot, until Olette beats some sense into him," Roxas said, gazing up at the cloudless blue sky. "So, I'd like to know why you decided that you believe me. You sounded like you were about to piss your pants when you called this morning."

Axel stared at him in surprise. "You don't know? I thought you sent me that nightmare or something."

"Nightmare?" Roxas looked up sharply. "Wait a second, what was it about?"

The redheaded man was startled by this reaction. "Um… well, I went to sleep, and then I sorta sat up and… I could see myself, only I was still me… I dunno. Anways, there was this noise from the dark side of my room, and this… _thing_ came out and attacked me, but I woke up before it could do anything."

The look on Roxas's face told him that there was something much more serious underlying the nightmare itself. The blonde pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on one of them, deep in thought. After a few moments, he said, "I knew it. Your - or your friend's apartment - _is_ haunted. And not by the good kind of spirit, either."

"Wait a sec, you mean that monster is living in my apartment?" Axel stared at the blonde man in dismay as he nodded solemnly. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me. How come I never noticed before? Don't ghosts do all sorts of weird shit to get people to go away?"

"Depends on the ghost. Some of them are okay with sharing spaces, some aren't, and some want you for your body."

Axel blinked. "Say what?"

Roxas realized how weird that must have sounded, so he clarified. "Some malevolent spirits, such as demons, will haunt a particular place looking for a host body to possess. Fortunately, I've never seen this happen in person, but I have heard stories about it. It can be a very nasty business to get rid of them."

A cold feeling of dread was beginning to pool in the pit of Axel's stomach. "Am I gonna have to move, then? And I don't want to leave Demyx there if this thing could get him instead of me."

Roxas thought for a moment. "No. Give me a little while to do some research and figure out how to get whatever's living in your apartment gone. As long as nothing changes drastically with the state of mind it's in between now and when I get a solution, we should be fine."

Axel sighed and buried his face in his hands. "I hope to hell that you find some way to make it go away. I don't think I can take another nightmare like that."

Roxas grimaced. "Believe me, I hope I can, too."

~::~

**Author's Note:** Before I forget, I've decided to try and stick to a regular update schdule of a chapter every Wednesday and Sunday, provided that nothing prevents me from finishing. Life does have a tendency to get in the way sometimes, but I'll do my best to be on time! Reviews are amazing, by the way.


	3. Polarity

**Author's Note: **I'm starting to really like this whole horror story thing... It's kind of fun to write all the descriptions of these creep-tastic events and monsters and stuff. I apologize in advance for anyone who loses sleep because of this story.

~::~

_Fear has a funny way of putting things into perspective. A small detail that might be insignificant one day could become a life-changing piece of information the next, all without any warning. A coffee stain on a table, a receipt left behind in a grocery store parking lot, or maybe even the way the sun shines through the blinds on a window in the morning could hold some unknown meaning behind their simple outwards appearances. Everything has a story, and at some point these stories must all intertwine. The only question is… when?_

~::~

Axel woke up screaming for the fifth day in a row. Cold beads of sweat poured down his body, making him shiver involuntarily. The nightmare was the same as the first night, the huge black creature stalking around in the shadows before coming in for the kill. He hadn't told Roxas about it yet because nothing had really changed, other than the fact that he was having the dreams at all.

"Axel," a familiar voice said from the doorway, "I thought I told you to tell me if anything changed."

The redhead winced at the harsh edge in Roxas's voice before realizing that the blonde man was in his apartment, and he didn't have a key. "What the hell? Did Demyx let you in?"

The dirty blonde poked his head through the doorway at the sound of his name. "I did. You've got a lot of explaining to do, mister."

"But I just woke up," Axel whined, trying to crawl further into the tangled mass of bedclothes around him. "Let me go back to sleep. We can talk once I'm coherent."

"Oh, no you don't!" Demyx strode over to the bed and grabbed Axel arms, pulling him back out of the mass of fabric. Axel protested with a loud grunt as he was carried between the two blondes and dumped unceremoniously on his couch.

"Guys, seriously!" Axel stood shakily and pushed past them into the kitchen. "Let me at least get a drink or something to wake me up." Without really looking, Axel reached inside the refrigerator and grabbed the first bottle his hand came in contact with. He gulped down half of it before realizing that it was beer. He shrugged and continued sipping as he returned to the living room.

"Axel, tell me _now_, how long have you been having the nightmares?" Roxas immediately began interrogating him before Demyx could even open his mouth to speak. "Is it always the same? Do they end the same way? What does the creature look like?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, kid, it's nine in the morning!" Axel's eyes narrowed into a . "Just slow down a second. It's been five days. Yes, it's always the same, ending and all. I told you yesterday, a big, black, wolf-like monster with red eyes that's been in one too many fights."

"You're not taking this seriously, Axel," Roxas snapped, scowling.

"Please explain this to me!" Demyx wailed. "I don't get a thing you're saying!"

The other two men stopped glaring at each other and turned to Demyx. "Long story short," Axel explained, "Roxas here is psychic. I met him five days ago on my way back from that… special request from the auto shop. He thinks my apartment is haunted, and I've been having terrible nightmares for the past five days since I met him. We're gonna try and…. oh, what's the word… exorcise this bitch."

Demyx stared at him for a brief moment before he burst out laughing. When neither of the other men joined him, his mirthful expression faded to fear and disbelief. "You're _shitting_ me. You two are for real?"

Roxas glanced at Axel. "He's almost as bad as you."

Axel scowled at him again. "Oh, shut up. Yes, Demyx, we're serious. Well, Roxas is. I'm still skeptical of the whole thing, but still… he hasn't been wrong about anything yet."

Roxas's eyes suddenly widened and he pointed to the beer bottle in Axel's hand. "A-Axel, what were you drinking? It's… It's turning red!"

Axel looked down and screamed, throwing the bottle away from him as the liquid inside began crawling up the interior of the glass. The bottle shattered against the wall, spewing pieces of glass and droplets of red all over the carpet and the walls. The three men watched in horror as the red began pooling at the base of the wall and then trickled upwards, creating a web of pencil-thin lines crisscrossing the white surface. Suddenly most of the strange red substance disappeared into the walls, leaving a single word behind.

Axel was about to read it when Roxas leapt in front of him and clapped a hand over his mouth. "Don't say it out loud!" he screeched, eyes wide in panic.

Now truly terrified, Axel repeated the name over and over in his mind. _Gaez. Gaez. Gaez. Who - or what - the hell is Gaez?_ "Why not? I don't see why it's so bad to say one little word."

"Saying the name of a spirit," Roxas informed him, voice shaking, "only gives it more power over you. Don't you dare read it out loud. Go get some paper towels and see if we can clean it up."

Axel obeyed automatically, almost unable to tear his gaze away from the red stains on his living room wall. He retrieved a handful of paper towels from the roll next to the kitchen sink and proceeded to wipe the mess up. Too his horror, no amount of rubbing would make it come off. He even got a bottle of cleaner and squirted it a few dozen times, but nothing could make it go away.

The redhead collapsed on his couch, distraught and still not as awake as he wished he could be. His brain was unable to comprehend what had just taken place. Demyx sat down next to him and wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulder. "Hey, Roxas'll take care of this, won't he? I mean, come on, we've seen plenty of horror movies before. This isn't all that different, is it? Most of the time people find a way to exorcise the thing, or force it to go away by other means. There's nothing to worry about."

Roxas chewed on his lip, glancing at the stained wall with a nervous flick of his eyes. "Not to sound like a total pessimist here, but it's not gonna be that easy. Things in movies are always made so much simpler than the actual process is because most average people with little knowledge of the paranormal wouldn't get the rituals and steps involved. Not to mention, this is real-life, where bad things can and will happen to us, whereas movies… well, those are all shot on a set without any real ghosts."

Axel massaged his temples with his fingers, squeezing his eyes shut. "I can't believe this… Look, guys, I've got work in a couple of hours. Roxas… Well, I guess you can stay and inspect the place if you want. Demyx, are you working today?"

The dirty blonde shook his head. "Nobody's got a lesson today. I can stick around to help, although I don't really understand what's going on yet."

"I don't know if anyone needs to stay here right now," Roxas said, staring absentmindedly at the shards of glass still littering the floor under the name written on the wall. "Demyx, help me clean up what's left of the bottle. The last thing we want is for Axel to cut himself walking around his own living room." The dirty blonde man obliged, leaving the redhead to his own thoughts.

Axel was terrified. Downright, shit-your-pants terrified. Just a few days ago he would have denied any sort of paranormal happenings existed, but now he witnessed it with his own eyes, and his brain was unable to process it. He needed information, anything and everything he could get his hands on telling about things like this, hauntings and ghost sightings and everything in between, and he knew just where to get it.

"Demyx," he asked as the two blonde men returned carrying a dustpan, a brush, and the trashcan, "when is Zexion supposed to be back?"

The dirty blonde thought for a moment. "Uh… Tomorrow, I think. Why?"

"Good," Axel replied with a faint smile. "I have great need of his brainpower right now."

~::~

"You're asking me for _what?_" Zexion, a man who was not easily startled, looked like he had just heard that the world was ending. "Books about paranormal activity and ghost sightings? You can't be serious."

"You want serious? Come over to my apartment and look at the writing on my wall," Axel was exasperated. For such a smart individual, Zexion was having a certain amount of difficulty understanding the whole story with Roxas and the nightmares.

He was seated in one of the chairs in Demyx's apartment, across from Demyx himself, who had pulled Zexion into his lap before the shorter man could escape his clutches.

The steely-haired man cocked an eyebrow. "Writing?"

"Yes, writing. Yesterday, I was drinking something, and it started turning red all of a sudden and started moving. I kinda freaked out and threw it across the room, and then the liquid started going _up_ the wall and then got absorbed or something until only this word - which I apparently am _not_ supposed to say, according to my little psychic friend - was left. We can't figure out what it's written in or how to get it off, though. I couldn't sleep last night. I was so scared by it."

Zexion's jaw dropped. "Good God, you're serious, aren't you?" He stood and immediately headed for the door. "Come on. I have to see this to believe it."

The three men hurried over to Axel's apartment, and the redhead led them into the living room. Zexion stopped in his tracks as soon as he saw the writing. "Sweet Jesus, Axel, why couldn't you just be pulling a prank on me?"

The redhead winced. "I'm sorry. It's not my fault this place is haunted. Look, do you know anything that could help?"

Zexion stared at the red word on the wall for a moment before saying, "Go get me a knife and a small plastic bag. I sure hope you don't particularly mind scratches on your walls, because some of that substance is getting taken to my lab whether you like it or not."

Axel hurried to obey and watched in mild fascination as the shorter man carefully scraped off a few slivers of paints and whatever the red substance was, catching them neatly in the bag. He returned to the kitchen and tossed the knife in the sink before zipping up the plastic bag and pocketing it. "I'll have the results on what this stuff is as soon as I possibly can. In the mean time… don't get your stupid ass killed because of some spirit, all right? Maybe you should talk to Roxas again and see if there's anything more he can do for you."

"Good idea. Thanks for doing this," Axel said, giving the two a small wave before they left. After this, he almost ran to the phone to call Roxas.

"Hey, Axel. What's up?"

Ignoring how weird it was that Roxas knew it was him, the redhead said, "Hey. Zexion, Demyx's scientist boyfriend, was just over here, and he's gonna run some tests on that red stuff on my wall to see what it is. He suggested I speak to you again to see if there's anything else we could do to prevent anything worse from happening."

He could hear the hesitation in Roxas's voice when the blonde replied. "Well… There is one thing we could try… Only it's not very safe, especially if this thing is malevolent. You remember that ouija board thing I mentioned before? We could use it to try and get in touch with the spirit and see why it did that, what it's doing in your apartment, and things like that."

"I don't care how dangerous it is. Just bring the thing over here. I want answers," Axel demanded.

Roxas heaved a sigh on the other end of the line. "Fine. I'll be there around seven. Make the coffee table in your living room is clean. We're going to need it for this."

The blonde arrived exactly when he said he would later that night. Axel let him in and, without a word, Roxas strode purposefully into the living room carrying a thin, rectangular box and a paper bag. "Okay. Come here," Axel, who was hanging back in the doorway, came and sat down on the opposite side of the table from him. "First, I need you to help me set up these candles and light them."

"Candles?" the redhead asked, puzzled. He pulled out five of the thick, white items from the bag along with stands to put them on.

"Yes, candles. For a protective ring, although I don't know how effective they'll be. Once that's done, I'll show you how to use the board, and then we can start and pray nothing goes wrong."

Axel went back to the kitchen for a moment to get a box of matches out of one of the drawers, which he then gave to Roxas. However, the blonde refused the box, saying, "Will… Will you do it, please? I'm not the biggest fan of fire…"

"Oh. Uh, sure," Axel went about doing his task as Roxas took out a long, flat piece of wood about the same size as the box. The surface was lacquered, the flames of the candles causing small fragments of light to dance on the walls. In the center of the board, the alphabet and the number one to nine and then zero were spread out in three identical arcs, printed in ornate black lettering. The top right corner held a small crescent moon with the word "No" written next to it, and the top left corner held a sun and the word "Yes." At the bottom center of the board the word "Goodbye" was inscribed. "So how the hell do you use one of these things?"

"It's really quite simple. All you do is put your fingers," Roxas held up a small triangular object with a circle of glass embedded near the longer tip, "on this, and ask questions until you contact a spirit. The spirit will then move this thing, called a planchette, around on the board to spell out the answers, if it so wishes."

"You're sure this will work?" Axel asked nervously, unsure if contacting ghosts was really such a good idea.

"I've used them before without incident. I don't see why this would be any different," the blonde man replied, standing up and walking over to the light switch. "I'm turning the lights off, so don't scream or wet yourself."

"I wouldn't dream of it," the redheaded man replied, although his heart did jump a little when the room was plunged into darkness, save for the flickering candles on the table in front of him.

The aforementioned candles cast an eerie glow over Roxas's face as he sat down opposite Axel and instructed, "Okay. I want you to put the tips of your middle and index fingers on the wide end of the planchette. And do not, under any circumstances, take them off until I tell you too. If something weird starts happening, move to goodbye immediately."

"Roxas, I dunno if I should be the one to do this… I mean, I've got no idea what I'm doing, and like you said, you've used one of these boards before."

"Okay, fine," the blonde sighed, handing him a note book and a pen. "Make sure you watch the circle in the planchette carefully and write down the answers as we go."

"Got it. Can we get this over with now, please?"

Roxas closed his eyes as he placed the tips of his fingers on the small plastic pointer. "Is there anyone there who would like to speak with us?"

Axel watched in wide-eyed amazement as the pointer began moving. He could tell that Roxas was barely even touching the surface of it. It was almost as if some invisible being was doing it for him. The planchette slid to the "Yes." Axel scribbled down the question and the answer.

Roxas opened his eyes. "Can you tell us your name?" The pointer moved to the W, the A, and then the L twice. "Is that your name?" The plachette moved to "No."

Axel made note of this and then decided to try asking a question of his own. "Is your name the word on the wall of this room?" The pointer stopped on "Yes."

The two men exchanged a worried glance. "Why are you here?" Roxas asked, trying to quell the fear rising in his chest.

The planchette was still for a moment before it began making a sideways figure-eight on the board, growing faster and faster. Roxas's eyes widened in panic when he realized his fingers felt glued to the plastic. Ignoring his own prior warning against removing one's fingers before closing the board, he tried to wrench them away before the spirit could do any harm to him. He felt a surge of energy wash over the room as his fingers separated from the planchette and it flew across the room, smacking into the wall where it was marred by the name of the spirit. Suddenly a human-like silhouette began pulling itself out of the wall, clawing at the empty air to free itself. Roxas and Axel stood and began backing towards the kitchen doorway, hearts pounding in their chests. The shadowy figure finally pulled itself out and stood there for a few moments before opening its eyes, showing pupil-less white irises that sent chills up the two mens' spines. Without warning, all the lights went out, plunging the whole apartment into total darkness. Even the candle flames were extinguished. Axel grabbed Roxas and hugged the smaller man to his chest, squeezing his eyes shut. A few moments later, the lights flickered back on. Axel opened his eyes… and screamed.

~::~

Demyx looked up from where he was crouched on his bed, pinning Zexion down. "Did you hear something hit the wall where Axel's living room is?"

The shorter man rolled his eyes. "You're paranoid, Demyx. Anyways, we're kind of in the middle of something right now, in case you hadn't noticed."

The dirty blonde man smiled and trailed kisses down his partner's neck. "Don't think I didn't. It's kind of hard not to with you making all those obscene faces at me."

Zexion's cheeks flushed and he turned his head to the side. "I do not make faces."

"Do I need to video tape us to prove it?"

"You wouldn't."

"Oh yes I would," Demyx joked, smiling as he kissed Zexion again. "Tell me if I start going too fast." The dirty blonde was about to resume what he had been doing previously when a loud scream emanated from Axel's apartment. Demyx started and promptly rolled off the bed, scrambling to collect his clothes. "Sorry, Zex, but we're gonna have to continue this later. Whatever that was, it wasn't good!"

Feeling just as scared as his lover looked, Zexion collected his own clothes and barely had time to pull on his underwear and pants before Demyx grabbed his key ring and dragged him out into the hallway and to Axel's door. The dirty blonde fumbled with his keys, muttering curses under his breath as he tried unsuccessfully to unlock the door several times. Zexion finally stepped in, managing to get the door open to find Axel and Roxas lying on the kitchen floor surrounded by large droplets of what look liked blood staining the white tile floor.

"Axel!" Demyx exclaimed, running over to kneel by his friend's side. There were several long scratches on the front of his arms, as if he had been holding them in front of himself for protection. Roxas was unscathed save for a small gash on his lower leg. "What the hell happened?"

The redhead blinked and slowly sat up, wrapping his arms protectively around Roxas. "Where did it go? That… That thing attacked us!"

"What thing? Axel, what happened?" Demyx repeated, a note of panic in his voice.

Roxas began to stir. He winced in pain as he moved his leg. "Shit. I think we just let that demon loose to wreak havoc upon the world."

Zexion came over with a bottle of cleaner and a handful of paper towels to mop up the blood on the floor. "What caused this to happen?"

"We were trying to contact it through a ouija board, but it went wrong, and then this black shadow thing came out of the wall, made the lights go off, and then when they came back on, it was standing _right fucking there_ and attacked us, clawing at us and trying to get to Roxas's throat," Axel explained, voice shaking. "I am seriously fucking scared right now. I don't think I can even stand up."

"This isn't good," Zexion said, confirming everyone's worst fears. If Zexion, the calmest one out of all of them, was worried, then things were seriously wrong.

"Axel, can you let go of me please?" The redhead released Roxas and the blonde stood, limping over to one of the chairs around the kitchen table. "Where's a first aid kit? We'd better get ourselves bandaged up before we do anything else."

"It's in the cabinet under the sink," Axel said, wincing when he saw the cuts on his arms. "Damn. Whatever that thing was, it sure wasn't messing around."

"Hold out your arms for me, Axel," Zexion said as he took the first aid kit from Demyx, trying to keep a note of fear out of his voice. "This may sting a little."

Axel hissed as the steely-haired man dabbed something on the cuts. "That stings like a bitch," he whined, flinching away from Zexion's hands.

"Stay still. It'll go away in a few seconds," Zexion glanced over at Roxas "Will you come and put the bandages on while I hold him still, please?"

Roxas walked over and turned white as a sheet and looked like he was about to throw up the moment he saw the blood on Axel's arms. "I… I c-can't. Get Demyx to do it."

Axel cocked an eyebrow. "What's up with him?" he murmured to Zexion as Roxas went to sit back down at the table, holding his stomach.

"I believe he's hemophobic," the other man replied. When the redhead gave him a questioning look, he clarified, "He's scared of blood."

"Oh," Axel said in surprise. He glanced over at the blonde to see Demyx dabbing at the small cut on his leg with a cotton ball dowsed in whatever Zexion was using to clean his own wounds. The blonde boy's eyes were squeezed shut. "Hey, Dem, come help Zexion for a second. You can get back to him in a second."

"No, I've got it now," Zexion interjected, wrapping the gauze in his hands around Axel's forearms carefully, pulling it tight and then tying it off. "There. These scratches aren't all that deep… Hopefully they'll heal fast enough that you don't need to replace the bandages."

Zexion left Axel to go help Demyx with the cut on Roxas's leg. Axel curled up and leaned back against the cabinet behind him with a sigh. He didn't dare close his eyes; if he did, he'd fall asleep, and if he fell asleep… He didn't dare to think about what his dreams might entail after his brush with death.

"A-Axel?" The redhead looked up to see Roxas limping towards him, a bandage now secured on his leg. The blonde held out a hand to him, and Axel took it without question. The blonde led him into the bedroom and pointed to the bed. "Sleep. I've got to go do some cleansing rituals; otherwise this place will stink of evil for days. I… I'm gonna need some time to figure out a way to fix this. I just hope I can do it before anything bad happens…"

Axel blinked. "Since when were you my mother? I don't need to… sleep…" His words were interrupted by an enormous yawn. "Damn you and your psychic powers."

Roxas gave him a weak smile. "I can't help it. Look, I'm gonna make sure Demyx or Zexion stays here so you can get some rest while I go back to my place and get the things I need for the cleansing. Be good, okay?"

The redheaded man smirked. "When am I not?"

"I'm not even going to grace that with a response," Roxas said, giving him one last smile before he disappeared into the kitchen.

Axel sat down on his bed, letting his shoulders sag. He was so tired he could probably lie down and never get back up again, but he was too scared to fall asleep, even if there was someone else there with him. Much to his surprise, he wanted Roxas there most of all. The redhead lay down and rolled on his side, wincing as one of his wounded arms became trapped beneath his body. He resigned to lying there on his back, staring up at the ceiling. The sun was setting outside, casting a reddish glow through his window.

What seemed like only a few moments later, a hand laid itself on his shoulder. "Axel?" The redhead blinked up at Roxas, who was standing next to his bed, smelling distinctly of sage and candle smoke. "Good. You're not dead this time, either. I swear, you sleep like a log."

"Life is a tiring ordeal," the taller man replied. "Did you do all of the ritual things you talked about already? You smell funny."

Roxas crinkled his nose, and Axel couldn't help but notice how cute he looked like that. "I did. Sage isn't the best smell in the world, but at least this didn't call for something smellier, like wild onions or garlic. Now _that_ would be stinky."

Axel nodded in agreement. "Very true. Are Demyx and Zexion still here?"

The blonde shook his head. "They went back to Demyx's apartment. Something about getting back to unfinished business."

"We probably interrupted them doing something naughty. That _would_ explain why Zexion looked less well-groomed than usual," Axel said, immediately trying to squeeze the images of his best friend and his partner copulating out of his head.

"I'm gonna go take another look at the living room, I think," Roxas turned to go, but Axel managed to grab his arm before he could put any distance between himself and the bed.

"Stay."

Roxas smiled to himself before turning around to show the redhead an expression of grudging agreement. "Oh, all right." He walked around the bed and stretched out next to Axel, letting the redhead scoot over and nuzzle his hair.

"Mmm… Your hair smells like peaches."

The blonde smothered a laugh that bubbled up in his chest. "You sure like smelling me, don't you?"

Axel took a long whiff of the aroma again. "Not my fault your hair smells good enough to eat. And no, I won't actually eat it. I'm pretty sure hair has absolutely _no_ nutritional value."

"Oh, that's a relief. I spend a lot of time on my hair," Roxas replied with a smirk. "It doesn't."

"Hmm…" The redhead appeared to be drifting off again, but his hand found Roxas's arm and slid down to grasp the blonde's much smaller one. "I think I'm gonna fall asleep again…"

"Oh no you're not." Roxas shifted so that Axel fell sideways across his lap, leaving him stunned and vulnerable. The blonde ran a finger down the back of the redhead's neck, eliciting a gasp of surprise. "Aha. So my intuition was right."

"You're evil, you know that?" Axel whined, trying to fend off the other man's hands, but to no avail. Roxas continued assailing the sensitive area on his neck, making him squirm as he tried to escape. "Come on, quit!"

"I don't wanna," Roxas smirked. "You're just so entertaining."

"Yes, and you're incredibly creepy," Axel retorted. "Stop it!"

Roxas stopped abruptly and withdrew his hands, looking hurt. "Well, you didn't have to be so mean about it…"

Axel sat up and turned to face him. "I'm sorry, Roxas. I didn't mean to offend you or anything… I thought you were okay with being called that."

The smile that appeared on the blonde's face confused him. The other man's next action left him totally bewildered. Roxas leaned forwards and captured his lips in a chaste kiss, wrapping his arms around his neck to make him lean down. Axel regained the use of his body after a few seconds of shock and pulled the blonde into his lap, wrapping his arms around the smaller's waist to hold him there. Roxas, however, wasn't protesting as he pulled away from the kiss. "Well, that went better than I expected, considering what you've been through today."

"You knew this was going to happen, though," Roxas gave Axel a blank look. "Didn't you?"

"No. I expected the total opposite, actually. I thought it would be too soon and you'd run away," the blonde responded.

"And why would I do a silly thing like that?" Axel found that he liked the blush that spread across Roxas's face as they stared at each other, blue eyes locked with green. The redhead almost wanted to laugh out loud at the absurdity of it all, the ghosts, psychic powers, and the possibility that he might just be falling for the blonde man sitting in his lap. "How long has it been since we met? A week? I guess you were right when you said hanging out for that long would change the status quo."

Roxas grinned. "I've been right ninety-eight percent of that time, and still you doubt me?"

"What can I say? I'm a skeptic," The taller man replied, bringing his nose to touch the blonde's. "Hmm. I'm kind of glad you ran into me now."

"More like knocked you down like an over-sized bowling pin."

"True."

The two men fell into a comfortable silence. Roxas shifted positions so that his back rested against Axel's chest and the redhead's arms were around his waist. The minutes ticked by as they sat there, glad to have someone else there to comfort them. Axel's nerves were taxed from the day's ordeals. Roxas was worried about him, unsure if he could hold up much longer if the attacks and nightmares got worse.

Finally, after a while, Roxas extricated himself from Axel's grasp and slid off the bed. "I don't really want to leave now, but I have to. I'm still house-sitting for my brother."

"It's okay," Axel replied, hiding his disappointment with a smile. "I'll call you if anything weird happens, okay?"

Roxas smile back, knowing full well that the redhead was terrified at the thought of being left alone. "Okay. Don't forget, Demyx is right next door. Call him before you call me if anything goes wrong. I'll see you tomorrow. Right?"

"Right."

Axel watched as the blonde disappeared into the kitchen and heard the lock on the apartment door click shut behind him. With a sigh, the redhead lay back against his pillows, too tired to even bother trying to sleep.

~::~

Axel woke up to the sound of his telephone ringing. Groaning, he dragged himself out of bed and picked up the receiver, giving the person on the other end a very tired, disgruntled "Hello?"

"It's Saix. I assume you'll be there tonight?"

The redhead felt the sudden urge to smash his head against the wall. "Yeah. Don't worry. I wouldn't miss it for the world," he said, lacing his tone with a sickly sort of sweetness that he hoped would cover up his outright contempt of the man on the other end of the line.

"Good. I'll see you tonight."

Axel ended the call and then stared down at the phone for a moment, wondering if it was worth it to fling it across his room. He decided that he'd rather not have to buy a new one, so he replaced it and was about to go sprawl out in his bed and try to go back to sleep when the phone began ringing again. The redhead picked it up and snarled into the phone, "Saix, if it's you again, I'm gonna fucking-"

"Um, Axel? I'm pretty sure my name isn't Saix."

The redheaded man suddenly felt very stupid. "Oh, uh, sorry, Roxas. Ignore that. Um, so, what do you need?"

"I wanted to know when you'd be free today. My brother is supposed to get back in town today or tomorrow, so I'll have to be careful when I go out to do stuff. He'll kill me if I'm gone when he comes back," Roxas replied after trying unsuccessfully to mask his laughter with a fit of coughing.

"Um… Well, I've gotta go work at the auto shop from nine to five, but anytime after that is okay. Oh. Although I have another… uh… _appointment_ at ten."

"I understand," the blonde said. "So maybe we could go grab some dinner once you get off work?"

"Are you asking me out on a date?"

Axel was sure that Roxas was blushing, judging by the way he stuttered out his next sentence. "I-I totally didn't mean it like that!" he paused for a moment. "…do you want it to be?"

"Consider it a date," the redhead replied, grinning to himself as he heard the other man heave a relieved sigh. "I'll see you then. Do you want to just meet in the skate park again?"

"That would be fine," Roxas said. "See you later."

"Bye," Axel replaced the receiver and walked over his bed so he could sit down. His heart was fluttering in his chest liked a caged bird for some reason he just couldn't explain. It wasn't even all that unpleasant… just different. He smirked wistfully and shook his head. "This kid's got my heart doing back flips for him. Who would've thought…"

The moment the redhead arrived at the auto shop later that day, Xigbar noticed that differences in his behavior. The graying man scratched his head and sighed as he worked next to Axel on a car. "What's gotten into you, dude? You're acting really funny. Did something happen?"

Axel, without really thinking, replied, "I think I'm in love."

Xigbar, who had just taken a mouthful of water out of a bottle nearby, coughed and sprayed a fine mist of water droplets all over Axel. "You're kidding, right? Man, no wonder you looked so high! So who's the lucky girl?"

"Um… it's a guy," the redheaded man replied sheepishly, keeping his voice low so none of the customers nearby would hear.

"Oh, right. Oopsy-daisy," his boss said with an apologetic look. "I forgot you swung that way. So what's his name?"

"Roxas."

This time, Axel managed to avoid the water that Xigbar spit at him. "You've gotta be shitting me. How do you know my nephew?"

Axel stared at him open-mouthed. "He's your… Shit, no way! That's… That's just _weird_. He never mentioned you."

"He never was one to talk much about his family," the older man replied with a wistful smile. "I can't blame the kid, though. He always was the strange one, going on about spells and magic and other stuff like that. Not to mention his wardrobe and his behavior… The rest of his family's Christian, wear tasteful clothes that are always in pristine condition, act like perfect angels, and are pretty much perfect examples of what a model citizen should be. Hard to believe they're related."

"Oh really? You're right, though, he never has talked much about them, although we _have_ only known each other for a week…"

"You sure fell for him fast," Axel shrugged. Xigbar waved a hand in dismissal. "Anyways, that's pretty much all you need to know about them apart from names. I'm sure he'd tell you if you asked him, which I think you should do. He'd know if I told you without his permission and curse me or some shit like that."

"He wouldn't curse you!" Axel jumped to Roxas's defense immediately. "Roxas is too nice for that."

The look on Xigbar's face told him otherwise. "You really don't know him that well, then. I'd make sure to start asking the tough questions before he gets away if you really care about him as much as you say you do. There's a reason that kid never stays one place too long. If you're not ready to put in the effort, get ready for disappointment."

Axel walked to the skate park after work that day with a heavy heart. His boss's warning still rang in his ears, echoing another time for every step he took. Roxas wouldn't really desert him for no reason, would he? Sure, the blonde had said something about staying interested before, but he was just joking, right? The redhead just didn't know.

"You look sad," was the first thing Roxas said to Axel when he walked up to the spot where they had been meeting every day for the past week. The redhead climbed the ladder and sat down heavily next to the blonde. "What's up?"

"I found out that my boss is your uncle today," he said bluntly. "Why didn't you ever tell me about your family?"

Roxas stiffened and turned away. "They don't matter. I'm my own person, and nothing anyone else thinks can change that."

Axel flinched at the icy barbs lacing the blonde's tone. "I didn't mean to offend you. I just want to know a little bit more about you so I can make my decision at the end of the month. Remember?"

"Oh," the other man said, staring down at his hands, clasped in his lap. "Okay. I guess I should tell you, then. My dad's name is Cloud. He used to be a high-ranking officer in the military, but retired so he could start a family with my mother, Tifa. Mom used to run a bar around here, but she sold it to a guy so she could raise kids after Cloud asked her to marry him. My oldest sibling is a girl called Namine, who loves art and all things related to it. Then there's me and my twin brother Sora. He's the older one, and he's about as crazy as you can get. The youngest in our little family unit is another girl, Xion. She's the only one of us who looks like Mom at all. Xigbar is my mom's older brother, and he had two kids with a woman named Larxene, Tidus and Wakka. Both of them are married and several years older than me. My Mom's younger brother is Auron, but he never got around to marrying or having kids. Dad's an only child, and all my grandparents are dead, they're all the family I have."

"Well, that's more than I have," Axel commented wryly. "It's only me, my brother Reno, my parents, and two grandparents. We're a lonely little sextet."

Roxas looked up at him in surprise. "That's all?"

"Yep. I don't mind, though. We're really close-knit. I wouldn't give them up for the world."

The blonde man sitting next to Axel was silent for several minutes, his chin resting on his hand, as if he were deep in thought. Suddenly he stood. "I want you to come home with me tonight."

Axel blinked. "Say what?"

"Come home with me tonight," the shorter man repeated. "I've got a lot to tell you, and I would rather do it there than in your haunted apartment or out in the open like this."

"I… um… well… okay, fine," the redhead managed to splutter in response, still stunned by the blonde's frankness.

"Great!" Roxas beamed at him. "We'd better go now, though. My brother never showed up today, so I've got to check up on his place first."

Axel followed him down the ladder and out of the skate park. Once they were on the sidewalk, Roxas took hold of his hand, ignoring the strange looks they got from passersby, and began leading him through the streets of New York, still bright as day even though the sun was beginning to go down. Soon the redhead was unable to recognize where he was, although he knew the area of town they were in was a pretty high-class place. Roxas eventually stopped in front of a building that housed some of the more expensive apartments in the area and swiped a card in a slot on the door so they could get in. Two flights of stairs later, they arrived in front of Sora's apartment.

"And this," Roxas said as he opened the door, "is where my brother lives."

The apartment was spotless, much to Axel's surprise. He had been expecting a messy bachelor's pad, not a pristine apartment that looked right out of a picture from a magazine. The walls were painted a creamy beige that complimented the dark brown and blue furniture perfectly. Several pieces of modern art were arranged skillfully on the walls, further complimenting the color scheme of the room with a myriad of pastel blues and pale yellows.

"What the hell is this?" Axel asked in confusion. "No way in heck can a guy's home be this clean. It's not right."

"Sora's boyfriend Riku is a total neat freak," Roxas giggled, something Axel had never heard him do before. "Seriously, it's almost scary. If he gets one tiny little drop on a shirt, he sends it right to the cleaners. Although, he can afford to be like this… he's the son of a high-grossing movie director."

"…creepy," Axel replied absentmindedly as he walked further into what he took to be the living room. The small piece of the kitchen he could see through a nearby doorway was no different, although it was red and purple rather than blue and brown. "Hey, Roxas, is it safe to sit down on anything in here, or will Riku throw a hissy-fit if I desecrate any of his sacred furniture?"

Roxas couldn't reply for laughing so hard. Finally, he said, "Just come sit on the couch, you dumbass. I can tell him that it was me. He knows I'm a slob."

"You're not a slob," Axel responded. "Actually, I think you clean up rather nicely."

"Well, thank you," The blonde man smiled as he patted the sofa cushion next to him, indicating where Axel should sit. The redhead did, and Roxas immediately changed subjects. "So, about this stuff I've got to tell you… Some of it isn't pretty, okay? Don't blame me if something I tell you really irks you or makes you sick. I gave you fair warning."

The look of pain and discomfort Roxas gave Axel then was too much for the redhead. He pulled him into his lap and kissed him, wanting to make all of the hurt go away. Roxas kissed him back without really thinking, wrapping his arms around his neck to make Axel lean down so that it was more comfortable. Unfortunately, the redhead lost his balance and toppled forwards, landing with his knees on either side of Roxas's abdomen and his hands on both sides of his head, their lips still sealed together in a kiss.

About three seconds later, the door burst open and a brunette man carrying a bright green umbrella came marching in, yelling, "Roxas, I'm ho-… Holy shit!" He ran forwards and began smacking Axel with his umbrella. "Get off my brother, you creep!"

Another man, much calmer and with silver hair, entered the apartment and grabbed the brunette, pulling him away from the redhead. "Sora, stop it! What are you trying to do, kill him?"

"B-but I thought he was some crazy rapist serial killer guy trying to hurt my brother!" Sora whimpered, making a puppy dog face at his boyfriend. "I was just trying to protect Roxas."

Riku rolled his eyes as Axel right himself and sat down on the couch, pulling Roxas up as well. "Wow, Sora. Way to jump to conclusions. However, I would like to know why they're doing that here, of all places."

Roxas scowled at him. "We were about to leave, if you hadn't come running in here unannounced."

"Like he said!" Axel agreed. "I just fell over on top of him."

"Whatever," Riku said coldly. "But if you got anything on my furniture, I'm going to sue your ass for every penny you own."

Axel wasn't sure which scared him more, the look on Riku's face or the fact that he was probably serious. "Geez, I'm sorry for existing. Are you PMSing or something?"

"Axel!" Roxas hissed. "Be polite!"

"Sorry," The redhead winced. "Um… yeah, we were just going. Come on." He grabbed Roxas's hand and dragged the blonde out of the apartment before he could even register what was happening.

"What are you doing?" Roxas wrenched his arm free of the redhead's grasp once they were out on the street again. "What's gotten into you?"

"I wanted to be away from there, obviously, but…" the taller man replied, not looking at Roxas. "Look, I just remembered that I have that… _appointment_ later and I can't stay much longer unless I want to miss it."

"Oh," The blonde's voice was emotionless. "Well, fine then. I guess we can do it tomorrow, then." He brushed past Axel and began heading for home, staring down at the pavement beneath his feet.

"Um, Roxas?"

"What?" The blonde heaved an exasperated sigh as he turned to look at the redhead man.

"I don't know how to get home from here. You'll have to take me," Axel said, scratching the back of his head and looking sheepish.

Roxas stood still for a moment, and then held out a hand to him. "Oh, all right. Come on."

~::~

**Author's Note:** I really, really hope I can stick to my schedule. So far so good, but life has a way of... well, getting in the way when things need to be done. So tell me, was this chapter scary enough, too scary, or do I need to step things up a bit? I'm still undecided as to how detailed I'm gonna get when describing stuff... Reviews are like cookies. They make the world go 'round.


	4. Acquiesce

**Author's Note:** Yay, I finished on time! Well, this chapter is a bit less scary, but everyone knows that the calm always comes before the storm... -insert evil laughter here-

~::~

_Regret and longing are two of the most powerful emotions in the world. Looking back on things past, wondering what would have changed had one not chosen to walk the path they did, can be a painful experience. Wishing to go back and change the past can cause this ache to grow, taking over one's mind until nothing remains but a crippling doubt in one's ability to choose the right way. Such a thing is difficult to get rid of, so one must learn to live without lingering on past mistakes. However, that is easier said than done._

~::~

If there was one thing Axel would never forget, it was the predatory look that lingered in Saix's eyes even well after they had finished. The golden orbs followed him as he walked towards the shower, trying to hide his limp. They bored into the back of his head until, finally, the redhead closed the bathroom door behind him and sank down with his back against the cabinets, burying his face in his hands. It was tearing him apart to do this and he knew it, but what else could he do when his other jobs barely paid the bills and none of the job fields he was skilled in were hiring?

The water of Saix's shower almost burned Axel the first time he stepped in, not realizing he turned the knob too far. Choking back a yelp of pain, he adjusted the temperature and then let the much more comfortable water wash away the remnants of the last few minutes' activities.

He redressed once he was done showering and returned to the bedroom, where Saix was waiting for him, money in hand. "I'm going to be out of town next week, so here's a little extra… I expect you'll make it up to me next time."

"Of course I will," Axel said with a fake smile plastered on his face. "I'll see you later, then."

A wave of chilly air hit the redheaded man as soon as he stepped out onto the streets. The night time lights of the city twinkled like a million stars, casting a bright glow over the sidewalk. It was a comforting sight, one he grew up seeing. A wave of nostalgia washed over him as he remembered all the crazy escapades he undertook with his brother and their friends.

A gentle tap on his shoulder jolted the redhead out of his reverie. He look down to see a petite girl with short black hair and huge blue eyes that bore a startling resemblance to Roxas's staring up at him. "Excuse me, but are you Axel?"

"I… yeah. How did you know?"

"Well, partly my brother. But I'm like him," she said, smiling. "I'm Xion, Roxas's younger sister. I'm going to visit him, but... Well, I got lost. I've never been there without my parents, so I've got no idea where we are."

"Xion? He mentioned you the other day," Axel said. "Wait a second, how old are you?"

The black-haired girl looked down at her shoes. "Um… Sixteen."

"You shouldn't be out here by yourself in the first place. I'm glad you found me before something happened," Axel waggled a finger at her. "Well, come on. I'll take you back to my apartment and you can call you brother."

Xion beamed at him. "Thanks. You're awesome!"

"So I've been told," The redhead smirked.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, Xion staring wide-eyed at the bustling night life of the city around her, Axel wondering how the hell she had managed to find him in a place this big.

"You said you're like your brother," he began, glancing down at her. "Does that mean you're psychic and into all of that paranormal stuff? No offense, but you look like a Catholic schoolgirl."

Xion nodded. "Yeah, only I'm not as good at predicting things as he is. But I'm learning. I would dress different like him if I could, but Mom and Dad think all of the stuff we like is evil and against the Bible. I only look and act the way I do because I'm waiting until I turn eighteen so I can be the person I want to be."

Axel stared down at her in mild surprise. There was more to the girl than he thought. "I see. I can't say I relate to you, but I can say that you shouldn't feel obliged to be stuck into a tiny little mold just because your parents want you to. I'm sure you'd be happier being yourself."

Xion scowled down at the pavement passing under their feet. "Try telling them that. Stupid grown-ups just don't get it."

"Hey, I just happen to _be_ one of those stupid grown-ups," Axel retorted.

"But you're different. You get what I'm talking about, and you're not just telling me to shut up and do what I'm told," she said. "You're… different. Like my brother said, very orange."

Axel glanced at her in confusion. "You can see the aura thing too? But you didn't even have to stare at me like Roxas does!"

"I don't have to," Xion said matter-of-factly. "Whereas Roxas is almost flawlessly good at predicting the future, I can see auras without trying."

"Really? Then what color is Roxas's? He wouldn't tell me when I asked," Axel said excitedly.

"I'm afraid that he forbade me from telling you, too," she said apologetically.

"That sneaky bastard! He knew I'd ask you!"

"Psychic. Duh."

Axel blinked. "Oh. Right."

Before Axel knew it, they had arrived at his apartment. He led Xion up to it and unlocked the door to find all the lights off. "I could've sworn that I left the lamps on in here…" he muttered, scratching his head as he flipped the light switch. The sight that greeted his eyes almost made him faint.

The kitchen floor, the furniture, cabinets, walls, and ceiling were all splattered with blood. It dripped from the ceiling onto the floor and then pooled into congealed masses that reeked of death. In the one clean space on the ceiling, whoever - or whatever - had done it had left a message.

"_Leave this place if you wish to live_," Axel read, voice shaking.

Xion, standing behind him, turned pale and began backing out of the apartment. "A-Axel, I don't wanna be here anymore. This place… The negativity is stifling. Please. Let's go." She tugged on the redhead's sleeve until he followed her outside into the hallway.

"Roxas didn't say anything about this when I talked to him a couple of days ago," she said, shivering involuntarily. "I-I'm scared. You shouldn't live there anymore."

"But it's my home. Not to mention, my best friend lives next door to me, and I can't just leave him there like to be a sitting duck target for whatever's in my apartment," Axel rubbed his temples. "Come on. We'd better go over there and see if he knows anything about when this happened."

When Demyx saw how pale Axel and Xion were when he opened his door, he immediately pulled them inside his home and began making them hot chocolate. "What the hell happened?" he asked worriedly as he flitted about the kitchen.

"Well, I was coming home after I hung out with Roxas, and I met Xion - his little sister - who was lost, so I told her she could come back and use my phone to call her brother and get him to come and pick her up. When we got to my place, the kitchen was covered from floor to ceiling in blood, and 'Leave this place if you wish to live' was written on the ceiling," Axel managed to say in one breath. "Did you or Zexion hear or see anything weird in the last couple of hours?"

Zexion suddenly appeared from the next room. "As a matter of fact, I did. I had gone to pick up something from Demyx's mailbox, and on my way back, I noticed that the place smelled terrible. I assumed you were at home and had burnt something you were cooking, so I thought nothing more of it. Also, about thirty minutes ago, I could've sworn I heard voices coming from the living room."

"V-voices?" exclaimed Xion, clinging to the redheaded man's arm. "Axel, you can't go back there!"

"I don't think I'm gonna, until I can get the kitchen cleaned up," he responded, trying to pry her off. "Trust me, it's the last place I want to be right now. I know I don't look it, but I'm scared shitless."

Demyx chewed on his lip with a worried expression. "I think you need to call Roxas and tell him about this. Oh, and about his sister, too."

Axel nodded and went to the living room to get the phone. Roxas answered mere moments after the first ring. "Axel? Why are you called me at eleven-thirty at night? Did something happen?"

"Uh… Yeah. My kitchen is currently covered in blood, along with a warning to leave or else I die. Also, I found your little sister Xion wandering around the streets of New York."

"_Shit_," Roxas exhaled. "I'd better get over there. Do my parents know that Xion was out by herself?"

Axel glanced back at the black-haired teen, standing in the doorway between the living room and kitchen. Judging by the expression on her face, they didn't. "Doesn't look like it. I'm at Demyx's place, by the way. See you in a few."

Roxas hung up and Axel replaced the receiver. He took the cup of hot chocolate that Demyx walked up and gave to him, heaving a sigh into it that evaporated in a cloud of steam. "My whole life has literally gone to hell in the last week."

Xion unfastened something from around her neck and walked over to Axel. She placed it in his free hand and then backed up a little.

"What's this?" the redhead asked, staring down at the small silver figure on the chain in his hand. Its outstretched wings glinted in the glow of the lamp next to him.

"It's my guardian angel pendant," Xion said, looking down at her feet. "I want you to have it. I think you need it more than I do."

"But… No, it's yours," Axel said, holding his hand back out to her. "I don't want to take it from you."

The girl wrapped his fingers around it, holding them there. "You need it more than I do," she repeated, blue eyes filled with worry. "Please. Wear it, so at least I know I could help in some way."

Axel was about to protest again when he saw a spark of the same spirit Roxas possessed in her eyes, the kind that you could beat back again and again and it would never give up. Sighing, he set down his mug of tea and fastened the delicate chain around his neck.

"I feel better already," a relieved Xion murmured, sipping her drink. "So, Roxas said that you two are hanging out every day for a month. How has that been working for you?"

"Geez, everyone that knows him makes it seem like there's some reason I _shouldn't_ like him as much as I do," Axel grumbled. "Honestly, it's really enjoyable spending time with him. He's an interesting person, from what I've seen so far."

Xion bit her lip, but stayed silent. The seconds ticked away as the four people waited for Roxas to show up. Axel went and sat down on Demyx's sofa, doing his best not to hide his shaking knees. He was so scared, more than he'd ever been. Anything else, and his heart might just go and give out.

The redhead jumped as he heard a door open and then slam shut moments later down the hall, followed by running and then Demyx's door almost being torn off its hinges. "Axel, what the hell-… It wasn't any of you guys' blood, then? Thank God…" The blonde man walked straight past a dumbfounded Demyx and Zexion and stopped in front of Axel and Xion, who had joined him on the couch a few moments before. "You left your door open, dumbass."

"Yeah, well, I didn't exactly stop to lock it after seeing all of that blood," Axel winced at the harshness in the other man's tone.

Roxas then turned on his little sister. "Xion, what did I tell you when we talked a couple of days ago? I didn't want you to come and see me. Mom and Dad are probably flipping their shits right now looking for you. I'll be surprised if they haven't called the police yet."

"W-well, I left a note… if they found it, they'll know I'm with you," she said meekly.

"Yeah, and they'll blame me for being a terrible older brother and not sending you straight back to them," Roxas snapped. "Use your common sense next time, if there _is_ a next time, considering how long Mom may ground you for this. I swear, if I were her-"

"Roxas."

"-I would make sure you never left the house again until you turned twenty, at the very least-"

"_Roxas_."

"-because a teenage girl going out into the streets of New York at eleven at night without any adult supervision is just plain-"

"_Roxas!_" Everyone, including Zexion and Demyx, who had entered the living room to see what all the fuss was about, stared at Axel in surprise. He wasn't one to raise his voice usually. Outbursts like this were few and far between. "Shut up. We've got bigger problems here then your sister wanting to see you. Yes, what she did was not smart, but she's fine, so will you please pull whatever stick got shoved up your ass out and stop acting like a spoiled brat?"

Roxas stared at him open-mouthed, obviously not used to be talked to like that. He shook his head after a moment and stared down at his shoes. "I'm sorry. I got Mom _and_ Dad's tempers from them. Not a good combination."

"And no more excuses," Axel scolded.

"Fine," the blonde replied. "So what do you suggest we do? I don't think staying in your apartment is an option anymore, at least until we find a way to get this damned demon gone."

Demyx, although still very white from the news he had received, snorted with laughter.

Axel turned to glare at him. "What's so funny?"

"Damned demon. That's totally redundant," he giggled. Another glare from Zexion silenced him.

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Anyways, I dunno what to do about a lot of this… Axel, Demyx, and Zexion, I want you to stay here for a minute while I go take a quick look around Axel's kitchen. Xion, come with me. I think I can teach you a little bit while you're here."

Xion smiled faintly at him and waved to the others as she followed Roxas into the kitchen and then out into the hallway.

"Um… what is he looking for?" Demyx asked, a look of confusion spread across his face.

"I'm relatively sure he's looking for any clues that the malevolent spirit might have left that could tell why it's there or why it so desperately wants Axel gone," Zexion informed him. "If there is, it could help us determine a way to rid ourselves of the demon."

The door to Demyx's apartment suddenly burst open for the second time that night. Xion and Roxas shot inside and shut the door behind them, locking it and leaning their backs against it.

Axel turned white when he saw how terrified they looked. "What happened? Roxas, why is there blood on your face?"

The blonde could barely stand, he was shaking so badly. Axel grabbed a paper towel and wiped the red streak on his face off as led the shorter man into the living room where he and his sister could sit on the couch. "W-when we opened the door, the lights were still on, like I left them, but i-instead of the blood being all over the room, it was just on the wall opposite w-where we were standing. It wasn't dripping or anything l-like normal blood would, and suddenly this… this _thing_ lunged out of it screaming bloody murder and tried to attack us. We managed to back out and close the door in its face before it could get to us, but it threw some blood on my face," Roxas's voice grew louder and more confident as he continued speaking. "I didn't totally understand what the thing was screaming, but it vaguely sounded like 'Axel, die!'"

Xion, who was silent the whole time her brother was explaining what happened, suddenly burst into tears and flung herself onto Roxas, burying her face in her brother's shirt. "I'm scared!" Her sobs were muffled by the fabric. "We've gotta make it go away!"

Roxas stared down at her in shock, unsure how to react to this. Axel sat down on the opposite side of the black-haired teen and gently lifted her so that he could set her in his lap and gently stroke her quivering back as she cried. "Shh… We're gonna make it go away, I promise. Just give us a little time…"

"This was my fault. I shouldn't have gone back, and I shouldn't have taken Xion with me," the blonde man said, burying his face in his hands. "I feel so stupid."

"Shut up." The other three men in the room flinched at Axel's tone.

"Hey, Axel, maybe you could stay here for now," Demyx suggested in an attempt to break the awkward silence that followed. "You can have the couch, if you don't mind it being a little small."

"I don't want to burden you, especially if Zexion is now staying with you," the redhead said, not looking up at the dirty blonde man. He continued after heaving a sigh. "I don't know what I'm going to do."

Roxas looked up at him. "Come to my apartment. Goodness only knows, having you around to remind me that we have a demon on the loose could help me get some work done on finding a good way to get rid of it."

Axel stared at him. "Your apartment. Really?"

"Well… Yeah. I see nothing wrong with it, as long as you don't mind the smell of incense."

"I… Okay, fine. At least then the place won't be overflowing with people," Axel conceded. "But… I need stuff from my apartment for work. How am I supposed to get in there with the demon out for my blood?"

Roxas paused to think, and after a moment or two, a sly grin spread over his face. "I've got an idea."

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not gonna like this?"

~::~

"I still can't believe all it took was a handful or two of salt to keep that thing away," Axel shook his head incredulously as he, Roxas, and Xion walked down the street towards the blonde's apartment.

"I thought that too, the first time I heard what ordinary salt was able to do," Roxas replied. "There are a lot of common household items that have magical properties if used correctly. I've just never really had a good reason to use them like that before now."

"Thank God," Xion sighed, glad to be away from the haunted apartment. "But not every problem has such a simple solution."

"Yeah," Axel commented, holding up his small suitcase, "like trying to fit a week's worth of clothing into a tiny bag like this." The three of them laughed despite the cloud of imminent danger hanging over them.

They finally arrived in front of Roxas's apartment building, a place that was about midway on the societal ladder. After a short elevator trip, Roxas led Axel and Xion down a hallway until the came to a door marked "Apartment 138." The blonde man unlocked it and let the door swing inwards so Axel could see. "And this," he said, "is my humble abode!"

Roxas's apartment was, quite simply, a mess. Clothes littered the floor against the right wall, spewing out of the overflowing laundry basket; several dirty dishes sat unattended in the sink, reeking of leftover food; the whole place was in need of a good dusting and vacuuming. Upon seeing this, Xion went into what Axel liked to call "Mother Mode" and started flitting about collecting trash and debris.

"Roxas," she scolded, "how can you live like this? It's an absolute mess in here! We've got to get it cleaned up!"

The blonde man slapped his forehead with his palm. "And this is why I never bring her here…"

Axel sniggered despite himself and shrugged. "Well, at least now you won't have to pay for a maid."

Roxas thought for a moment. "You have a good point there. Not that I couldn't but I hate strangers going through my stuff. It makes me feel like my privacy is being violated, even if it's their job."

"I know how you feel," Axel responded, watching with mild amusement as Xion crinkled her nose at Roxas's dirty underwear lying under the edge of the sofa. "Why _is_ it so messy in here, though? Too lazy to clean up?"

"Mostly," the shorter man affirmed. "But I don't really see the point, when usually nobody but me sees this place. You and Xion and my family are the only exceptions."

"I feel really special now," Axel grinned.

"You should. I make anybody else pay five bucks an hour." Axel didn't know whether to laugh or take him seriously.

"You're such a slob!" Xion threw a wadded up sock at Roxas, who caught it deftly and threw it back at her in the same motion, stunning Axel and causing Xion and the blonde to start a dirty laundry war. Roxas dived behind one of the chairs and began shooting underwear at her by way of the waistbands. Xion retorted with more socks and a few sweatshirts. Axel unsuspectingly walked into the center of the battle and was bombarded by articles of clothing until he managed to join Xion behind the sofa and curl up into a ball to avoid being hit.

"You two are so mature!" he exclaimed, sarcasm dripping off of his words.

"Yeah, well," Roxas retorted, nailing the redhead's exposed rump with a well-aimed pair of underwear. "At least we know how to have fun, you old geezer!"

"Geezer?" Okay, this is _war!_" Axel began helping Xion fling various items of clothing at the blonde. Under their furious onslaught, the two were able to advance and pin the shorter man to the floor, threatening him with doing all the laundry himself if he didn't surrender. Given no other choice, Roxas conceded defeat and began helping them clean all of the clothes up and stuff a huge load of jeans into a basket to take down to the communal laundry room so they could be washed.

Once this was done, the three of them went back up to Roxas's apartment. The blonde, however, didn't remain there long. "I've gotta take Xion back home before Mom and Dad send out the entire NYPD to find her. Axel, are you okay staying by yourself for a few minutes?"

"I'll be fine," the redhead assured him. "Don't feel like you have to rush. It'll give me more time to find your diary and read all of the secrets you've written about me."

Xion looked to her brother, to Axel, and back to her brother. "Am I missing something here?"

"No, nothing at all," Roxas said, blushing slightly as he herded her out the door. "See you in a few, Axel."

"Bye!" Xion managed to call before the door to the apartment shut behind them.

Axel turned around and stared at the now much cleaner living room in front of him. Knowing that Roxas would probably kill him if he messed with his stuff, the redhead sat down on the couch and waited. However, soon his curiosity became too great, so he walked across the room and opened the closed door that he was sure led to Roxas's bedroom.

Much to his surprise, this room was almost spotless, save for the dresser on the other side of the room, whose top was strewn with various items that were too small to make out from this distance, and the huge piles of papers on the desk next to it. The bed was freshly made, no trash or clothes were thrown on the floor, and the whole room smelled faintly of peaches, just as Roxas's hair did.

Axel walked forwards to the dresser and inspected the objects lying on top of it. At the center stood two small wooden figurines, one a man, one a woman, both dressed in long flowing robes. In front of them lay a small silver dish that contained a minute amount of ashes that seemed to be the source of the aroma that permeated the room. On each side of that, a white candle was placed in a matching silver sconce. A box of matches sat next to a container labeled "Peach Incense" next to the candle on the right.

A sudden rustle from beneath the bed next to him made the redhead jump. He turned slowly, fearing what he might see, to find a tiny white kitten staring up at him from beneath the edge of the covers hanging over the end of the bed with wide, inquisitive blue eyes.

"Oh, thank God, it's only a cat," Axel heaved a sigh or relief. "Roxas never mentioned having a cat."

It mewled and wiggled its way out of the fabric and trotted over to him, rubbing up against his leg and purring like a miniature white lawnmower. The redhead knelt down and scratched behind the kitten's ears, making it purr even louder.

"I wonder what your name is…" Axel murmured, not realizing that he was talking to a cat. "You're awfully cute."

The small white animal mewled up at him, turning its head to lick at his hand with a tiny, pink, sand-papery tongue. Suddenly it turned around and trotted out into the living room, its tail waving in the air like a banner. Axel watched it go until it stopped in the doorway of the bedroom and turned to look at him, kneading the ground with its paws and meowing impatiently. The redhead took this as a signal to follow it, and so he did. The kitten led him through the living room until they came to a bookshelf stuffed full of all sorts of papers, books, and other miscellaneous items. It hopped up on a footstool placed in front of it and then jumped onto the third shelf, sniffing its way down the contents until it stopped and started pawing at a bundle of old, yellowed paper.

"You want me to take that out?" Axel asked it, kneeling down beside the shelf. The tiny creature mewled loudly and prodded the bundle with its nose. "Well, okay then."

Axel began to work the papers out from between the large volumes on either side of it, taking extra care not to knock anything off the shelves. After a few seconds, the bundle came free and the redhead took it back to the couch so he could sit down and get a good look at it. Much to his surprise, the words "Demonology: The Study of Demons and Beliefs Related to Them" were printed on the front in careful black ink handwriting. Axel flipped to the next page and began reading the short introduction.

"_Demons, a specific class of supernatural beings, have been a common subject in religious writings for centuries, in everything from Christianity to Islam to Greek mythology. More often than not, the word 'demon' is used with evil connotations, although the Greek origin of the word itself were not such. In fact, it began as a word with much lighter implications, being almost synonymous with 'well-being' and 'happiness.'_

_In today's society, demons are usually viewed as malevolent spirits that can possess living creatures at will, inhabit houses and other places, move objects, speak, and even attack other beings. Harmful, unexplained phenomena are often accredited to demons because of the lack of scientific evidence of why a particular event took place. Below are lists of the most prominent demons in religious writings, objects, rituals, and spells often related to these beings, and ways to get rid of lesser demons should you find yourself being plagued by one._"

Axel's eyes widened when he read the last item on the list. He immediately turned to the page that section began on and started scanning the table of contents for anything that sounded like it might work. "How To Exorcise a Spirit… Sprinkle salt on all doors and windows… Garlic, peppermint, cloves, thistle… Place in a fireproof bowl... Say a short prayer… It can't be that simple."

"What can't be that simple?" The redheaded man looked up to see Roxas standing in the doorway, one eyebrow raised. "What're you reading?" The blonde came to sit beside him.

"Your cat showed me this stack of papers in your bookshelf, and it happened to be a thing about demons. I found directions for an exorcism…" His voice trailed off when he saw the look of wide-eyed shock on Roxas's face. "What?"

"Axel, I don't have a cat."

The redhead stared at him for a moment before turning and pointing to the bookshelf. "But it was right… over there…" The shelf where the papers had come from was devoid of the little white animal. Axel dropped the bundle and hurried over to the bookshelf, searching frantically for the kitten. "But… it was here! I touched it! I swear, I'm not pulling your leg here! There was really a kitten!"

Roxas just stared at him in stunned silence for a few moments before he found his voice again. "It's not that I don't believe you, I'm just… surprised. I didn't think spirit animals could manifest physically like that."

"What's a spirit animal?" Axel asked, feeling very stupid for doing so.

"It's the spiritual essence of a particular animal that embodies certain traits. The one most like you usually acts as your spirit animals, which are also called spirit guides, animal guides, and several other names," Roxas explained. He tried not to laugh as he concluded, "Yours seems to be a kitten."

"My spirit animal is… a kitten," Axel couldn't comprehend this fact. "A kitten. Why the _hell_ is it a kitten? Why couldn't it be… a wolf, or a tiger, or something? I don't get it!"

Roxas collapsed in a fit of laughter, clutching his sides and desperately trying not to roll off the sofa. When Axel deadpanned, "I'm naming it Fluffy," the blonde man laughed even harder.

"Seriously though, if your spirit animal showed you that, then there's a very good chance that it's a reliable source," Roxas managed to catch his breath after his laughter faded away. "Can I see it, please?"

Axel handed the bundle of papers to him and pointed at the heading of the page he was reading. "It looks like this is a pretty simple exorcism ritual that we could probably do right now if we needed to. I take it that you've got all of the ingredients somewhere around here."

"Well, in theory, we could do it now, but… I don't want to try anything without doing a little bit of further research, or seeing if this method is even proved to work," the other man said as his eyes scanned the page. "Better to be safe than sorry."

The redhead nodded. "I get that. I don't want to make this any worse than it already is…" After a moment of silence, he changed the subject. "Hey, what time is it?"

Roxas craned his neck over and tilted his head to the side. "Shit, it's nearly one in the morning. Do you want to go to sleep now?"

Axel shrugged. "Whatever. I'm not all that tired, honestly. Do _you_ want to?"

The familiar quirky half-smile crept onto the blonde's lips. "Actually, I had other plans, as long as you don't have work again tomorrow…"

The redheaded man's eyes widened at the realization of what Roxas was implying. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, kid, remember who just came back from taking beating from Saix less than three hours ago… I don't know if my ass can take anymore."

"What, you thought I would be topping?" the blonde scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "You do realize I am not only about seven inches shorter than you, but about fifty or so pounds lighter, and also less experienced? I thought you'd want to, considering how attracted to me you seem to be."

Axel suddenly leaned forwards, placing a hand on either side of him, smirking down at the surprised blonde. "Oh, believe me, I know. By the way, damn you and your psychic powers."

Before Roxas could reply, Axel kissed him roughly, his tongue snaking out and running over the other man's bottom lip. The blonde resisted for a moment before shifting sideways so that the redhead was pulled down on top of him. One Roxas's knees ended up right between Axel's legs, stunning the redhead for a moment before he began smothering the smaller man with a furious onslaught of kisses. His hands found their way under the blonde's shirt and began roaming across his skin, eliciting a slight gasp as his cold fingers met Roxas's much warmer stomach.

Roxas, who had been mostly immobile up until then, suddenly began fumbling with the zipper on Axel's pants. The redhead stopped abruptly and pulled away. "Bedroom?" he panted.

In response, the blonde's legs reached up and wrapped around his waist, while he stretched his arms out to grasp the redhead's neck. Axel took this as a yes, and carefully sat up until he could get an arm under Roxas and carry him to the bedroom. Once inside, Axel laid Roxas down on the pristine sheets of the bed and began attacking his clothes, trying to get them off. The blonde helped when he could, kicking off his shoes and pulling off his socks once Axel tugged his jeans down and then discarded them in the growing pile. As soon as Roxas was reduced to his underwear, Axel began working on his own clothes, making a huge show of pulling his shirt over his head so the blonde got a perfect display of his lean stomach muscles. The shorter man rolled his eyes and helped him pull him jeans off. Once both men were clad in only their underwear, Axel backed Roxas up until his head was resting against the pillows at the other end of the bed.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Roxas sat up abruptly, banging foreheads with Axel, who yelped in pain and rolled sideways off the bed. The blonde hurriedly pulled his pants back on and zipped them as he stumbled to the front door. Axel cursed under his breath and did the same, but waited until his pants were on completely before following after him. He arrived just in time to see Roxas open the door.

"Ventus?" the man standing in the doorway asked tentatively, as if he wasn't sure that he was in the right place.

Roxas sighed and pointed to the left. "He's my neighbor. Apartment 137 is the one you want."

The man outside ran his hand through his spiky brown hair, looking sheepish. "Sorry. I almost thought, for a second…"

"Yeah, we look alike. Don't worry, happens all the time," the blonde said. The brunette man turned to go, but Roxas added, "Terra? Tell Ventus that he needs to start giving people the right apartment number or I will personally come and talk to him. Okay? Thanks." Looking at shocked as Axel felt, Terra turned and hurried towards the apartment next door. Roxas closed the door and sighed.

"Well, that was awkward," Axel observed wryly.

"You can say that again," Roxas leaned against the door. "That's the third time in the last month he's done that. I swear, I'm seriously gonna _kill_ Ventus if he doesn't start remembering his own apartment number correctly."

"So you look like this Ventus guy?" The redhead cocked an eyebrow.

The other man nodded. "Yeah. We could almost be twins, we look so alike. Only difference is that he's about two inches taller than I am. But other than that… We're identical."

"Weird," Axel pulled a face, but this changed into a sly grin as he advanced on the shorter male. "So, where were we?"

Instead of tilting his head up to kiss him when Axel leaned down, the blonde turned his head so that the redhead's lips met his cheek.

Puzzled, Axel withdrew. "What's wrong?"

"I know this is going to sound stupid, but maybe… maybe that was a sign that tonight isn't the night," Roxas winced, expecting Axel to voice his displeasure, but nothing came. He looked back up at him. "You're not mad?"

"No, I understand," Axel smiled faintly. It slowly spread into a grin as they continued to stare at each other. "You're just afraid I'm gonna hurt you. You said yourself the day we met you haven't slept with anyone since the last Ice Age came around. You're nervous!"

Roxas's cheeks turned bright red. "I am not!" he exclaimed.

"Are too," the taller man replied. "You look awfully cute when you blush like that. I should remember to embarrass you more often."

"Shut up!" Roxas squeaked, his voice going up an octave.

Instead of gracing him with a reply, Axel picked the smaller man up and carried him all the way back to the bedroom before unceremoniously dumping him on top of the comforter. Roxas's whole face beet red by this point, and the redhead could see the front of his jeans bulging slightly.

"Somebody's excited," The redhead chuckled, tugging the blonde's jeans off. He discarded his own jeans and then crawled onto the end of the bed, effectively pinning Roxas down.

"I'm not the only one," the blonde managed to say, glancing down at Axel's crotch.

"Yeah, well. Shut up and kiss me."

Roxas obliged happily, crushing their lips together by wrapping his arms around Axel neck and pulling him down. The redhead continued to kiss him as he deftly removed both the blonde's and his own underwear, leaving both men stark naked and noticeably aroused.

Axel paused for a moment. "Wait a second. Condoms and lube?"

Roxas blinked. "Oh. Right. That's probably a smart idea," He crawled over to his bedside table and began rummaging around in the drawer, presenting Axel with a very nice view of his backside. "One quick question. What do you think my favorite flavor is?"

"You have flavored ones? Really?" Olette's words echoed in Axel's head. _Also, he likes blueberry, in case he ever asks what you think his favorite flavor is._ "Blueberry."

Roxas shut the drawer and turned around, eyeing the redhead suspiciously. "Did one of my friends tell you that?"

"Nope," Axel made an X over his heart. "Cross my heart, hope to… _not_ die."

"Good choice of words," the blonde said, tossing the items in his hands to the other man. "Here. I'm pretty sure you'll be the one doing the prep work."

Axel grinned and dropped them on the bed, electing instead to back Roxas up against the headboard and attack his neck. He kissed the skin there from the base of his ear to his collarbone, and the suddenly bit down on the soft spot right at the base of the blonde's neck, earning him a surprised gasp of pleasure. Roxas's hands fisted in his hair as the redhead began playing with one of the blonde's nipples with his mouth, using one hand to keep him from squirming away while the other traced patterns down his stomach until Axel found the smaller man's arousal and began gently moving his hand up and down it.

Roxas moaned in pleasure and pulled Axel's head back up so he could kiss him. The redhead's tongue invaded his mouth and explored it, memorizing every centimeter. Axel's lips muffled more moans that emanated from the blonde as he continued pumping his hand up and down the other man's length. The broke off their kiss to regain their breath and Axel began trailing kisses down Roxas's stomach, ending just above the base of his erection before he slowly trailed his tongue up it, eliciting a loud moan from Roxas. Axel continued doing this until Roxas told him in a breathy moan to stop or he was going to lose it.

Retrieving the discarded condom package, the blonde managed to rip it open with shaking hands before wrapping his tongue around Axel's neglected arousal and taking it into his mouth, slicking it was spit and making Axel's eyes widen as he gasped in pleasure. The blonde then rolled the rubber down the other man's length and proceeded to lick it again, making sure he had gotten the right kind.

"You look like you're eating that best candy ever made," Axel informed him, his voice thick with lust. "Quit being so cute, damnit, or I might be the one to lose it first."

"Pervert," Roxas replied after pulling back. "Now, come on, before I change my mind."

"With pleasure," Axel picked up the bottle of lube and squeezed a generous amount into his hand. He slathered him self with it and then pushed Roxas down on the bed. "Tell me if I start going too fast."

Axel positioned himself above the blonde and slowly began pushing into him, instantly realizing the Roxas hadn't been kidding about not sleeping with anyone for a long time. He was almost impossibly tight, something the redhead wasn't used to. He tried to find a better angle, and to his surprise, he slid in easily. Roxas moaned and gasped as he pulled back out and then re-entered just a little bit faster. Axel slowly picked up the face, trying not to laugh at the obscene faces Roxas was making and how loud his vocalizations of his pleasure were.

"A-Axel, come on," the blonde gasped out. "I'm… I'm gonna get up and… and walk away right now if you don't pick up the pace!"

Axel obliged with a smirk, kissing Roxas's neck as he thrust into him again and again, feeling himself growing ever closer to release. He could feel Roxas legs starting to go limp, and suddenly, with a loud, shuddering moan, the blonde climaxed, white splattering their chests. Seeing the face of utter bliss that Roxas made sent Axel over the edge himself, arching his back and giving one final thrust as he released. Once he was done, he pulled out of Roxas slowly and then flopped down next to him on the bed, peeling of the condom as he did so.

"_Holy shit_," Roxas breathed, gasping for breath.

Axel leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss against his lips, effectively silencing him. "I love you," he whispered against the blonde's skin.

A little half-smile curled Roxas's lips. "I love you too."

The two showered and then climbed into bed wearing only their underwear, not caring how much skin they were showing any more. Axel lay down and then Roxas crawled under the covers beside, curling his body so that his head rested in the crook of Axel's elbow and his back was against the redhead's chest.

Axel smiled and kissed the top of the blonde's wet hair. "Good night."

"Mmm. G'night," the blonde murmured, nuzzling his arm. He was asleep in mere minutes.

Axel lay there for a while, barely able to comprehend what had just happened. Just as the blonde had predicted, it took only a week for him to fall in love. It was scary how fast it had happened, but the redhead wasn't complaining.

With a sigh, Axel laid his head down on the pillow and let his eyes close of their own accord. The last thing he saw before he fell asleep was a white kitten and a tiny hummingbird curled together on top of the dresser in shaft of moonlight filtering through the window, peacefully sleeping and unaware of the danger lurking just outside their little sanctuary.

~::~

**Auhtor's Note**: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this so far. It means a lot that you really enjoy my writing. More reviews are always appreciated.


	5. Hypothesis

**Author's Note:** First of all, I'm sorry I'm late updating! This chapter proved to be a little more difficult to write than I first thought it would, but now it's done (with a good deal of help from my amazing beta-reader, red7rain over at deviantART, who also happens to be the reason why Kain and Cecil from FFIV get a cameo), so you can enjoy more creep-tastic stuff!

~::~

_Science has a way of trying to understand things which cannot and do not want to be understood. It reaches out into the abyss of knowledge to try and grasp at concepts that it is unable to make any sense of, blindly following strict sets of rules and guidelines to prove or disprove the validity of things in our world. But science has been proved itself to not be all-knowing; in fact, if anything, science continues to make those who use it more and more ignorant of the fact that there are some things in this world that should be better left undiscovered._

~::~

Axel awoke to the sounds of early morning traffic and the warmth of Roxas's body against his. Blinking in the shafts of sunlight filtering through the blinds on the window, he inhaled deeply, drinking in the scents of peaches and something he couldn't quite put his finger on. He wondered what time it was, but he had to roll over to see the clock on the bedside table. Not wanting to wake Roxas, he laid still and just enjoyed the proximity between the two of them.

After a few minutes, the blonde began to stir. His eyes blinked open, the blue bright and still glazed over from sleep. He sat up halfway and then seemed to decide against it, electing to flop back down and then roll over so his fore head was resting against Axel's chest. "Good morning," he murmured, yawning.

Axel kissed the top of his head. "Good morning, beautiful." Roxas really _was_ beautiful. Without his make-up and all his jewelry, he looked like some sort of deity that had come down from the heavens to grace Axel with a night of pleasure. His golden hair was turned into a halo by the sunlight.

"Mmm… I'm hungry."

The redheaded man chuckled and helped Roxas sit up with him. "Well, we'd better get dressed and start making breakfast, unless you want to go out and get something."

"Okay," The blonde rubbed his eyes like a sleepy child and stood up, walking over to his dresser to find something to wear. Axel retrieved his suitcase from the living room and fished out a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, not really caring how he looked at the moment. After slipping them on, he ran his fingers through his hair a few times and then braided it, tying it off with a rubber band. When he returned to the bedroom, Roxas was dancing around the bed trying to pull on a pair of skinny jeans. Axel snorted despite himself and the blonde stopped mid-hop. "What? Getting into skinny jeans is a delicate art. Don't laugh at me."

"Sorry," the redhead amended. "You just looked like a little bunny rabbit or something."

"Did not," Roxas grunted as he did one final jump and succeeded in pulling his pants on. He zipped them up and buttoned them before grabbing his chosen shirt off the bed and slipping it on. Somehow, his hair managed to retain its spikiness from the day before without any prompting from a brush or hair products, a fact that mildly surprised Axel. After fastening the silver cross and the wooden pentagram around his neck, Roxas said, "So. It is food time?"

"Yes, it's food time," Axel replied with a laugh. "What do you want to do? Go out and be lazy, or make it ourselves?"

"I need to go grocery shopping…" Roxas scratched the back of his head. "We'd probably better go get something, unless you want to eat stale cereal."

The taller man wrinkled his nose. "Ew. No thank you. Eating out it is."

"You know, that's a really poor choice of words, if you think about it," Roxas commented as he walked to the bathroom to put his eyeliner on. "In a different context, it's obscenely dirty."

Axel tripped over his own feet as he followed. "Gross. I never thought about that."

"I didn't either, until just now. Sorry if I just put you off your breakfast," The blonde smiled sheepishly. "Grab whatever you need and let's go."

A few minutes later saw the two men seated in a small diner nearby, munching steadily away at huge piles of pancakes and eggs as they talked through their plans for the day.

"I'm going to go the nearest library and see if I can dig anything up on the guy who wrote this little guide you found," Roxas motioned to the pile of papers sticking out of his satchel. "If I can make sure he's legitimate, then we can try the exorcism. If not, then we'll have to start from scratch again."

"Then this guy had better be for real," Axel grumbled. "I wanna go back to my apartment. Not that I don't like your place, but I get homesick really easy."

"I understand," The blonde paused to chew and swallow a bite of pancake. "So, you have work today?"

The redhead glanced at the display on his watch to check the date. "Yeah, I think so. I've got to go work at the bar, unless Reno doesn't need me for some reason, which I doubt will happen. He's not one to pass up any chance to make me work my tail off for him, that sadistic bastard."

"You and your brother must love each other so much," Roxas rolled his eyes.

"Oh, we do, he's just not one to put family before business when he's in the workplace. If you can drag him away from his beloved bar, he's actually pretty awesome. He makes a great drinking buddy because he gets really hilarious when he's drunk."

Roxas stared at him across the table for a moment. "Okay. I'll remember that when I need someone to drink with."

"Y'know, I'm pretty fun to drink with myself," Axel said with a smirk, leaning over his plate of food so he could wink at the blonde. "I should take you out on the town one of these days and show you a good time."

"You sound like some incredibly cheesy romance movie," Roxas said, stabbing the air in front of his with his fork, which was loaded with syrup-soaked pancake. "Shut up."

A piece of pancake suddenly flew off the tines of his fork and landed on Axel's nose. The redhead convulsed in terror and began clawing at his face. "Get it off! Get it off me!" the redhead squeaked, his voice elevating to a pitch Roxas didn't even know was possible. "Get the damn thing _off!_"

Roxas grabbed his napkin with one hand and grabbed the flailing redhead's face with the other. "Stop it!" he ordered, and Axel froze. The blonde knocked the offending food morsel off and began wiping the remaining syrup from the other man's nose. "There. Why did you freak out like that?"

"…blood," Axel whimpered, staring down at his half-eaten pancakes. "In some of the nightmares, the wolf thing dripped blood on my face before it attacked me. I don't think I'm hungry anymore."

"Eat your pancakes," Roxas said in a stern tone that surprised even him. "You're not good to me when you're hungry. It was just syrup this time, I promise. Dreams are just that - dreams."

The redhead stared at him in stunned silence for a moment before mechanically shoving more food down his throat, not even registering the taste any more. As soon as both men were done eating, Roxas paid and the two exited onto the street.

"How much longer until you have work?" the blonde asked as they ventured out into the cold early December air.

Axel glanced at his wristwatch. "A couple of hours. We woke up kinda early, considering last night's fun experience." The redhead loved the way that statement made the shorter man blush. They walked in silence for a few minutes, not going to any particular place, before Axel finally asked the question that had been on his mind since the night before. "So… Right before I fell asleep last night, I saw the white kitten again, but this time, there was an itty bitty hummingbird with it. What was the thing doing there?"

"Amaranth?" Roxas's eyes went wide. "She let you see her? This can't be good."

"What? Why?" Axel stared down at him worriedly. "Is the hummingbird-… Amaranth your spirit animal?"

Roxas bit his lip. "Yeah, but she's only ever appeared to someone other than me once. You're either in some serious danger, or she thought your spirit animal was there to replace her."

"She was sleeping peacefully with my little kitten. I don't think there was - pardon the pun - any animosity between them at all," the redhead replied with a smirk to hide his growing fear.

"I'll talk to her later today and see if she'll tell me what's going on. Spirits tend to know more about the comings and goings of other spirits better than any human ever could," The blonde fell silent for a few moments, and then changed the subject. "Can we go and hang out at the skate park before you have to go to work?"

"Sure," Axel said, taking his hand as the blonde changed directions to get them where they were going.

An hour and a half of talking and worrying together saw Axel giving Roxas a chaste goodbye kiss and then climbing down the ladder on the ramp that was becoming their chosen spot to relax for a while. "Make sure you get some work done, okay? I'll call you from Demyx's place once I'm done with work, okay?"

"Okay," the blonde said with a small smile. "Later."

Axel barely paid attention to how annoyingly asshole-ish his older brother Reno was being that day. He was too preoccupied with trying to think of anything he had ever seen or heard that might give him a clue of where to help Roxas start looking for alternate routes to get rid of the demon plaguing his apartment.

Once his shift at Reno's bar was over, the redhead made the short trek to Demyx's apartment. He knocked on the door and waited. And waited. And waited. Frowning, he knocked again, louder this time. When no answer came, he made a decision he knew he'd regret and unlocked the door to his own apartment so he could use the phone there.

Much to his surprise, when he entered the kitchen and flipped on the lights, nothing was out of place or covered in blood, and no strange spirits or monsters jumped out of the shadows to attack him. He walked to his bedroom after peeking into the living room to see it much the same as he had left it, the demon's name still written on the wall in red. The redhead picked up the cordless phone and punched in Demyx's number. The phone rang and rang until it went to the answering machine.

"I'm not very good at this sort of thing… Um… You've reached Demyx-… well, actually, his answering machine. Leave a message after the annoying little beepy noise."

"Uh, hey, Demyx, this is Axel. I just wanted to know where you were. Call me at Roxas's place later, okay? Bye." The redhead replaced the phone, puzzled. Demyx didn't have any voice lessons today that he knew of, and there weren't many places he would have gone at five in the afternoon. So where was he?

A sound from behind him made Axel freeze. A low growl emanated from the other side of the room, making his blood run cold at the realization of why it was so familiar. The redheaded man turned around as quickly as he dared to find himself staring straight into the eyes of the black wolf-like creature from his nightmares. With a scream of terror, he shot through the doorway into the kitchen and then out into the hallway, slamming the apartment door behind him. Three flights of stairs and a whole city block later, the redhead collapsed against the wall of one of the shops, hoping that his heart wasn't going to give out.

~::~

Axel returned to Roxas's apartment with the blonde that night scared out of his wits and shaking like a leaf. The rest of the day after seeing the monster in his apartment, the image of the creature, along with the black silhouette, kept appearing in the corners of his vision, disappearing as soon as he turned to try and see them better. By the time Axel was safely inside Roxas's apartment, he was scared out of his wits again and unable to do much else other than lie on the bed and try to go to sleep, staring up at the ceiling until he managed to drift off.

An otherwise peaceful sleep was disturbed violently by images of the bloody kitchen, the wolf, the black silhouette, and, strangely, Roxas, staring down at him serenely while he was sleeping, a slight smile on his face.

The first rays of sun glinting off the building opposite the bedroom window awoke the redhead as they filtered in through the blinds. The redhead blinked in confusion as he opened his eyes to see that Roxas was no longer lying next to him, as the blonde had been only hours before. Curious, Axel stood and pulled a shirt and jeans on before heading into the living room. Roxas wasn't there either. When he entered the kitchen, however, he found the blonde seated at the kitchen table, pouring over a stack of papers.

"Whatcha doing?" Axel said, walking over to stand behind him so that he could wrap his arms around the blonde's shoulders.

"Reading," Roxas replied. "I actually managed to find some stuff about the guy who wrote that thing you discovered with the help of your furry little friend. Turns out he lives around here somewhere, but I couldn't find an address. I'll keep looking while you're at work today. My uncle's auto shop today, right? Say hi to him for me."

"Yeah. I'll probably leave in a little while," Axel replied, glancing at the clock. "You let me sleep in, didn't you?"

"You looked so peaceful, I didn't have the heart to wake you up."

"Thanks, I guess. Got anything to eat?" The redhead grinned at him.

"There's stuff in the refrigerator, if you want to find something. Feel free to eat whatever, just make sure it isn't expired," the other man informed him.

"Great. Thanks." The two men fell silent as Axel began making himself breakfast and Roxas went back to reading the papers in his hands. The redhead sat down across from the blonde and ate, watching the blue eyes flick across the pages, drinking in the information there. He was a fast reader, because by the time Axel was done eating, Roxas had already finished four whole pages.

"Hey, I'm gonna go ahead and leave so I'm not late. It takes longer to get to the shop from here than it does from my place. Also, if Demyx calls, please find a way to let me know. I couldn't get a hold of him last night."

"Okay. I'll see you later."

Axel exited the apartment after gathering his things and made his way through the streets towards Xigbar's business. The whole way there, he kept glancing over his shoulder suspiciously, getting the distinct feeling he was being watched by someone - or something - behind him in the crowds of early morning commuters. He made it to the auto shop without incident, but Xigbar immediately saw the uneasy look on his face.

"What's up? You look like you're being followed by a team of hit-men or something," the older man said as he handed Axel his toolbox.

"I dunno, but it sure feels like it. Ever get the feeling you're being watched by somebody somewhere but you don't know who and you don't know why it makes you feel so damn scared?" the redhead said nervously.

"Can't say I have," Xigbar replied. "Has Roxas been telling you scary stories?"

"Well… No. Oh. He did tell me to say hi for him, though," Axel said.

"Okay. Maybe one of these days I'll get around to seeing him in person. I don't see most of the family enough. They think I'm vulgar," Xigbar said. "I'm not vulgar, am I?"

"No, sir," Axel said obediently, earning a chuckle from his boss.

"All right, go on and get to work."

About halfway through his shift, Axel looked up to see a man clad in a full-body black leather outfit ride into the small parking lot of the auto shop on a gleaming motorcycle painted like a cerulean-colored dragon, complete with the mufflers being designed to look like feet and the areas on either side of the seat raised and painted to resemble wings. It was an impressive vehicle, and no mistake. The man climbed off his mount with ease and strode over to Axel. He removed his helmet to reveal long, strikingly pale blonde hair pulled back into a long ponytail and eyes of the same shade of blue as his bike. "Do you know where Xigbar is? I need to speak with him, if he's here," the man said in a voice that was so deep it seemed to come from his toes.

Axel stared at him in surprise for a moment before motioning to the small office nearby. "He's probably in there right now. If not, he's out working on something."

"Thank you," The man nodded curtly and strode toward the door.

"Well, that guy was weird. Nice ride, though," the redhead murmured under his breath, glancing over at the blue motorcycle. "I'm almost jealous of him."

The redhead went back to working on the black sedan he was fixing for a few minutes before Xigbar and the blonde man came out of the office, obviously in a heated discussion, judging by how loud their voices were.

"Look, Kain, I'm aware that you're competition, but I will _not_ sell this place to you for any amount of money. I worked hard to get where I am, and I like it here. Nothing can change that," Axel's boss growled.

Kain glared at him. "You're too stubborn. You could still work here as the manager, the place would just be under a different name. Don't you see? We both profit. You have less competition, and I have another store in my chain."

Before Xigbar could reply, a blonde blur came out of nowhere, sped between them, and tackled Axel, who had just stood up to make sure the two other men didn't get into a fight. "AxelAxelAxelAxel!" the person babbled. "I've found it! I know what we have to do to get that thing gone! I found the website of the guy who wrote the papers you discovered, and he's legit! We can even get him to come and perform the exorcism himself, if we can get a hold of him!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, kid, slow down," the redhead said, gripping Roxas by the shoulders and holding him out at arms' length. "What's the guy's name?"

"Cecil Harvey."

The man fighting with Xigbar suddenly looked over at them. "How do you know Cecil?"

Roxas turned to look at Kain. "You know him? Good. You can help us find him. He's being annoyingly elusive at the moment."

"And what is it that you need from him? You're not another bunch of kooks who think they're being haunted, are you?" Kain sneered.

"We're not crazy, and I have the scars to prove it," Axel held up his arms so the arrogant man could see the claw marks the demon had left on them. "We need to get him to do an exorcism on my apartment. Can you give us his number or something, please?"

Kain stared at the scars for a moment before pulling a cell phone out of his pocket and punching in a number. "Better yet, I can call him for you. Ah. Cecil? It's Kain. I've just been talking to a couple of guys who need your help. Yes, it's paranormal in nature. No, I don't know their names. One second," He covered his phone with his free hand. "What _are_ your names?"

"Axel O' Riley and Roxas Strife," Roxas told him.

Kain repeated the names and then listened to the man on the other end for a moment. "You can? Good. I'll tell them. Yes, I can get the information you need. Yes. Okay. I'll talk to you later," The platinum blonde man snapped his phone shut and stuff it back in his pocket. "Cecil said he can be here around eight tonight. Will you give me your address so he can find you?"

Axel took the piece of paper and pen he handed him and wrote down the needed information before handing them back. "Will he need us to be there?"

"I have no idea. He'll have to be the one to tell you that," Kain turned back to Xigbar. "Well, if you're not going to accept my offer now, I'll come back another day and see if you've changed your mind. Goodbye." He promptly turned on his heel and marched back to his back. He started it up with a mighty roar and then sped off down the street.

"What an asshole," Xigbar spat. "Can't take no for an answer."

"Neither can you, Uncle Xigbar," Roxas said with a smile. "You're a stubborn old bastard yourself."

"Yes, but at least I have class, and I don't need to overcompensate with a flashy motorcycle like the one he has." Still grumbling under his breath, Xigbar returned to whatever he had been doing before.

Axel stared down at Roxas once his uncle left. "So why did you run all the way here just to tell me that?"

"Because I felt like it was the opportune moment," the blond replied, his lips curling in his little half-smile. "And I as right, as usual. If I had come five minutes later, I would've missed that guy that knew Cecil."

"You're amazing, I know," Axel leaned down and kissed his forehead. "Now, go entertain yourself. I'm still on duty, at least for a couple more hours."

"Okay," Roxas walked over to the office and went inside, probably to catch up with his uncle.

Axel's shift was over before he knew it, and he managed to pull Roxas away from his relative to go and get some lunch. The two grabbed a couple of hotdogs from a vender nearby and then took them to the skate park to eat.

"Do you really think this Cecil guy will be able to fix all of this?" the redhead asked, skeptical about the whole thing.

Roxas gave him the 'you-really-still-don't-believe-in-my-judgment-after-all-this' face and said, "I am about ninety-nine percent sure he can take care of it."

"That's good. I want to be able to walk into my apartment without fearing that I'm about to be murdered in some awfully graphic way," The redhead sighed. "Seriously. I just want things to go back to normal."

"I'm sure they will," Roxas consoled him. He proceeded to stuff half of his hotdog in his mouth before biting it off and attempting to chew it all.

"Gee, that's attractive," Axel rolled his eyes. "I'd totally love for you to do that to me, minus the whole biting part."

Roxas tied to say something to him through his mouthful of food, but nothing intelligible came out, so he elected instead to glare at the taller man. Axel glared back mockingly, imitating the chipmunk-like face Roxas was making thanks to the hotdog stuffed in his mouth.

"I hate you," Roxas id after he managed to chew and swallow.

"I love you, too," Axel replied, stealing a kiss.

An icy chill suddenly prickled down the redhead's spine, making him freeze. The feeling of being watched intensified to the point that he was sure that if he turned around, he wound find someone - or something - behind him.

"Axel? What's wrong?" the blonde man asked, his concern obvious.

"I just… It's nothing. It got really cold for a second. I think the wind just picked up or something," he replied, shivering involuntarily.

"Well… Okay. Maybe we should go and see if Demyx is home yet. He never did call, did he?"

Axel shook his head and took a small bite of his hot dog, letting the conversation lull. He wasn't sure if it was just him or the wind, but it seemed so much colder now than it had been a few minutes ago. He found himself shivering more and more until, mercifully, they finished eating and proceeded to make their way to Axel's apartment building.

When the redhead knocked on the door this time, Demyx answered. "Hey, Axel. I got your message earlier, but for some reason, my phone wouldn't work, so I couldn't call you back. What's up?"

"Well, Roxas found a guy who's gonna try and exorcise the demon out of my place, so we thought we'd hang around your place for a while so we're nearby when he shows up," Axel explained as he and Roxas walked past Demyx into his apartment. "Is Zexion around?"

"He had to go work today," Demyx said. He seemed to remember something then, hurrying over to the table and picking something up, which he then handed to his friend. "Speaking of Zexion, he told me to give this to you and to tell you he's sorry it took so long to get the results to you. He was apparently very puzzled by whatever he was looking at, which means one of two things: either it was alien matter, or it was some sort of mysterious new element never-before seen on this planet."

"Thanks," the taller man said excitedly, sitting down in one of the kitchen chairs so he could see what was inside. He ripped open the envelope and pulled out three sheets of paper. One was a complicated-looking graph that he didn't bother with, one was a standard procedure and certification sheet, and the last sheet was the results themselves. Axel began reading them out loud so the other two men could hear. "I have been studying chemistry and all things related to it ever since I was in middle school, but I must tell you now: never have I seen something quite as strange as this. Whatever the substance that I took from your living room wall is managed to corrode its way through three Petri dishes and a Pyrex beaker before I could even get a good look at what it was made up of. And, in all honesty, I still do not know what this material consists of other than the fact that it is some sort of powerful acid, or something akin to it. This is not of human or natural origins; this is something beyond even my wildest dreams - or in this case, nightmares."

Axel stopped reading there, not needing to know anything else. He looked up at the horrified faces of Roxas and Demyx staring down at the sheet of paper in his hands.

"Holy shit, man," Demyx breathed. "Could this get any weirder?"

As if on cue, a loud bang came from Axel's apartment next door. This was followed by a series of what sounded like footsteps on the wall itself. All three of them froze in terror and held their breath. The noises continued for a few moments and then faded away. The men released exhaled thankfully in one communal sigh.

"This Cecil guy better get here quick," Axel murmured nervously. "I don't think my heart can take much more of this."

"He's not coming until eight," Roxas replied.

"What time is it?" The redheaded man glanced at his watch to see it was only five o' clock. "Well, shit."

"Maybe we should go out and do something to get our minds off of it for a little while. If we've got a couple hours, we should go enjoy ourselves," Demyx suggested. "I don't know about you two, but I wanna get away from the weird noises."

Axel stood and walked to the door. "I agree. Let's go."

Without really meaning to, Axel led the other two men in the direction of the White Rabbit. Demyx looked mildly surprised as they entered the building, whereas Roxas seemed to have known this was where they were going all along.

When Reno caught sight of Axel, his eyebrows furrowed. "Did I miss something? I'm pretty sure you're not working today, little brother."

"I'm not," Axel replied, "but I don't see anything wrong with stopping by to chat and possibly get a bite to eat."

"Well, in that case, sit down," The older redhead shrugged and tapped the counter of the bar in front of him. The three friends obliged and Reno gave Roxas a questioning look. "Who's this guy? A new friend of yours, Axel?"

The Roxas and Axel glanced at each other, laughing nervously. "Something like that," the blonde man replied.

"Well, anyways, what can I get you?"

Before any of them could respond, Reno looked over their shoulder and immediately ran around the bar towards someone who had just entered the building. "Tifa! It's good to see you again!"

Roxas stiffened, his hands curling into fists on his lap. He stared down at the counter in front of him, jaw clenched and back ramrod straight. Axel was stunned at this reaction, recognizing the name Reno had exclaimed. Why would Roxas hate his-…

"Roxie-poo! You haven't called or come to see us in _ages!_" Tifa, a dark-haired woman who looked nothing like Roxas, rushed forwards and gathered him into her arms, almost suffocating the poor man in her generous chest. She suddenly released him and held up a fist in his face. "This is the last time you go this long without at _least_ checking in with us, or I swear, I'll knock you into next month!"

Demyx cocked an eyebrow and whispered, "Who the hell is _that?_"

A man who looked almost identical to Roxas walked up and gently pulled Tifa back from her embarrassed son. "Calm down, Tifa, I think you nearly gave him a heart attack there."

"But Cloud, he's your son, and you don't seem to care that he's been practically ignoring us for months!"

Axel, who was still trying to smother giggles from the whole "Roxie-poo" part, barely paid attention to the reunited family. He turned to Reno and said, "How do you know Roxas's mom?"

"She's the one who sold me this place a few years ago, remember?" his older brother replied in a tone that all but screamed at Axel that he was a total idiot for not remembering that. "I had no idea she had a kid that old… I thought she was _starting_ a family when she said she was selling it to be able to help out more around the house. Guess I was wrong."

"I'll say. Apparently Roxas has an older sister, too," Axel replied, shaking his head in pity as Roxas's mother smothered him and his father tried desperately to restrain his wife.

As the redhead watched the three of them, he suddenly saw a small object flitting around Roxas's head. He squinted and leaned forwards to realize that it was the spirit hummingbird Amaranth, hovering in midair. But something was wrong. One of her wings was flapping slower than the other one, causing her to occasionally dip dangerously close to the blonde spikes on top of Roxas's head. The offending appendage seemed to be broken. "Was that like that before…?" he murmured to himself.

"Was what where?" Demyx poked his arm. "Dude, you're totally out of it. Something up?"

Axel shook his head. "Nah. Hey, Reno, think we could still get some food?"

"Sure," his older brother said. "The usual, I take it?"

"Minus the alcohol. As much as I like my beer, I need to be able to think straight tonight."

"Axel, you _never_ think straight." The younger redhead scowled at his brother and Demyx as they laughed at this statement. He turned back to look at the hummingbird again only to find it gone.

Roxas finally managed to drag himself away from his mother and came to sit beside Axel again. "Oh. My. Gods. I swear, I think I just died a little inside from being squeezed so hard."

"You sure Mrs. Busty McBustington didn't suffocate you with her-… Ouch!" Roxas slapped Axel before he could get any further. "What was that for?"

"That is my _mother_ you're joking about, in case you forgot. I may not like to be around her, but I still love her all the same," Roxas grumbled.

"Sorry. You know I wasn't trying to be mean. Um… Did you want to get something to eat?"

"I would love a chicken salad sandwich and a glass of water," Demyx interjected, not realizing that his friend was talking to Roxas. When the other three men rolled their eyes at him simultaneously, he blinked. "What?"

Roxas shook his head. "Just a simple Caesar salad for me. I'm not too hungry."

"The usual for Axel, a chicken salad with water, and a Caesar salad. Got it. It'll be out in a couple minutes," Reno said with a nod as he headed to the kitchen to tell them their orders.

Cloud and Tifa came over and had a brief word with Roxas before walking over to a table across the room and sitting down. Their son looked mildly surprised at whatever they had told him and turned back to stare down at the counter in front of him.

"What's up?" Axel nudged him with his elbow.

"Hmm?" The shorter man looked up at him. "Oh, nothing. Mom and Dad just told me that Namine's going to get married soon. I'm a little jealous of her, honestly. She's the real gem of the family."

"Quit being such a downer," the redhead scolded. "You're amazing in your own ways."

Their food came then, forestalling any reply from the blonde. Roxas tacked his salad with gusto, making sure he couldn't say anything else on the subject. However, this only lasted for a few minutes, because the blonde ended up being the first to finish his meal. He stared at the counter as he waited for the other men to be done.

"Um… So," he said as they finished, shifting in his seat awkwardly. "Uh… What now?"

"Well, we've still got a while before this Cecil guy shows up… Maybe we should just go run around town for a little while, maybe shop or something. I dunno," Axel suggested.

Demyx nodded in agreement. "I think that's a good idea. I haven't really gotten much exercise lately."

"Taking a walk it is, then," Roxas said. He handed Axel a few bills to pay for his food and then slid off his bar stool and headed for the doorway. Demyx followed after doing the same, and the redheaded man went over to the cash register to pay.

"Who's that blonde guy with you?" the clerk, a petite, black-haired girl named Yuffie, asked Axel as he absentmindedly handed her his money. "You finally get yourself a boyfriend?"

He glanced over at Roxas, who was now leaning against the window next to the door, hands in his pockets, listening to Demyx rambling on about something. "Yeah. I guess I did. Tell Aerith and everyone hi for me, will you?"

Yuffie grinned. "I see. I sure will. Later, Axel."

He waved as he walked over to the door and led his two friends outside into the chilly air. The three of them began walking aimlessly down the street, talking about anything and everything to pass the time. Axel, in all of his paranoid glory, kept glancing over his shoulder to see what he thought was staring at him, but there was always nothing there but empty air or a cluster of people that were uninterested in him.

Demyx noticed these fervent glances, and called his friend out on them. "Dude, you look like you think someone is gonna run up and stab you in the back or something. Lighten up!"

Axel shrugged. "I'm just still creeped out from all the weird stuff that's been going on lately, y'know? A guy can only take so much."

"True," Demyx replied after a moment of thought. "Still, you're more fun when you're not ignoring other people because you think you're being followed."

The three men eventually ended up taking a breather at a small plaza on a side street that contained a few shops, but not much else worth noticing. Axel slumped down on a bench, stretching his legs out in front of him, almost tripping Roxas as the blonde came to sit on his left.

"Move your spider legs, Axel!" Demyx scolded. "We want to sit down, not get tripped!"

The redhead moved without a fight and tilted his head back to stare up at the cloudy sky. A few feeble rays of sun tried to pierce through the tiny cracks, but they did little to warm the earth beneath.

Demyx excused himself after a few minutes to go and find a restroom, leaving Roxas and Axel alone together for a while. "Hey. Roxas?" The blonde looked up at the taller man. "Earlier when we were in my brother's bar, I saw your spirit animal again. She was hovering around your head, but it looked like she had a broken wing. What's up with that?"

Roxas's eyebrows furrowed. "I noticed that. Believe me, if I knew what happened, I'd tell you. It worries me that she's hurt, but I can't do anything about it, and she can't seem to be able to tell me about it, she's so scared of whatever did it."

A cold feeling of dread trickled down Axel's back, although he wasn't quite sure why. He was about to ask another question when Demyx returned.

"Can we move on now?" he asked. Axel nodded wearily and stood, following his dirty blonde friend as they headed back out into the web of streets.

Soon, their remaining time before Cecil arrived was dwindling. The small group headed back towards the apartment building, hoping they weren't going to be late. On their way up the stairs, they ran into a man with long, wavy, almost white hair who looked very confused.

"Excuse me," he said, getting their attention, "but I'm looking for the apartment of Axel O'Riley. Do you know where it is?"

"Um, yeah. I should hope I know where my own apartment is," Axel replied, smirking slightly.

The white-haired man's face lit up. "Excellent! I'm Cecil, in case you didn't know that already. Lead the way!"

Ignoring the man's strange behavior, Axel, Demyx, and Roxas hurried up the stairs and through hallways until they came to Axel's apartment door. The redhead took out his key and unlocked it, stepping aside so Cecil could enter. "This place… it's stifling."

"My younger sister Xion said that, too. I don't feel it, but maybe that's just me," Roxas replied, glancing around nervously as he and the others followed Cecil into the kitchen once he turned the lights on. "Do you think you can get rid of whatever's here?"

"Well, I can certainly try. Can you tell me about the things you've been experiencing? It'll help me figure out what I need to do to fix all of this."

"I can do better," Axel said, dragging Cecil into the living room. "The thing haunting me wrote-… What the hell? It's gone!"

"What? What's gone?" Cecil asked in surprised, not expecting this reaction.

Axel pointed to the wall opposite them. "There was writing on that wall in some weird substance that wouldn't come off! It's been there all week, and it just up and decided to disappear the second we got someone who could help!"

Clearly startled, Cecil asked, "Well, what did it say?"

Without thinking, Axel replied, "Gaez. I think that's how it's pronounced." Roxas groaned, and with a pang of horror the redhead realized what he had just done. He clapped his hands over his mouth and shook his head. "Shit, shit, shit! I didn't mean to do that! Well, that's just great. At least things can't get any worse…"

They did.

A thin trickle of red began creeping from the edge of the carpet where it met the wall, tracing patterns over the white paint. The trickle turned into a stream, flowing faster and faster as it coated the room. The red substance began dripping down off of the ceiling onto the heads of the four men, staining their clothes. Demyx stared in wide-eyed horror at the wall in front of them and then backed out of the room before turning and fleeing through the apartment door, screaming "Run! Run away!" as he went.

"We can take this guy!" Cecil told the other remaining men, eyes blazing. "I've performed exorcisms before, and this can't be much different, can it?" However, before he could even begin to try and get rid of the offending spirit, he was blown backwards through the doorway by some unseen force, and was prevented by returning by a mirror-like wall of energy. He pounded against it, his mouth open in a startled yell, but no sound passed through the barrier.

"Well, shit," Axel turned to Roxas. "Looks like it's just you, me, and the demon."

But Roxas was no longer listening. The blonde man was standing rigid, eyes staring straight forwards. A scream emanated from his body, but his lips stayed still. Axel backed away in terror, trying to get through the doorway behind him, but remembering at the last second that it was blocked off.

"R-Roxas?"

The blonde was no longer blonde. His hair began turning black and growing longer so that it hung down on either side of his swiftly paling face, framing it and the now-soulless black eyes ringed by heavy circles. He stayed the same height, but gnarled wings sprouted from his back, and his hands and feet turned into gruesome looking claws. Suddenly, with another scream that came from his own mouth, Roxas doubled over in what seemed to be extreme pain, his knees and hands hitting the carpet hard. A black substance began creeping up onto his skin from the flooring where he was crouching, covering his skin and turning it into what looked like fur. Axel watched in frozen horror as the creature from his nightmares loomed large in his vision, its lips drawn back in a bloodthirsty snarl.

"_You humans are all the same_," the beast hissed. "_Always so gullible, so trusting. Playing games with you like this is getting to be so tiresome_."

"The whole time, it was you, Roxas?" Axel's voice shook.

"_Not Roxas himself, no_," the demon Gaez responded. "_I merely borrowed his body for a while so I could find a new, more suitable host. I think you'll do nicely. I like red."_

Axel tried backing up again as Gaez padded forwards towards him, flexing his claws in the carpet. He hit the wall and then began to inch sideways away from the hideous creature, his heart pounding in fear. The beast seemed to laugh at his futile actions as it continued making its way slowly towards him. The redhead suddenly wished that he'd done more research on the paranormal himself. Maybe he could've learned something that would be useful in a situation like this.

"_You can't escape_," Gaez hissed. "_Don't struggle too much, and I'll make sure your soul dies a bit more quickly than I first intended it to_."

Axel tried to make a break for the door, but it passing the creature, it flicked a paw out and raked its claws across the redhead's stomach. The smell of blood flooded his nose as Axel fell to the floor, whimpering in pain and fear. He pulled himself backwards until he felt his back hit the wall. He knew he was totally trapped now. He didn't have the strength to even stand and fight.

As he settled back against the wall to wait for the inevitable, one of the redhead's hands brushed across a piece of metal resting against his collarbone. He pulled it into view and realized he was still wearing Xion's guardian angel pendant. Without really thinking about what he was doing, he unclasped it from around his neck with shaking hand and whispered a short prayer over it. Then, he threw it with all his might straight into the mouth of the beast looming over him.

With a violent scream the nightmare creature reared back, clawing at its throat. It writhed in agony as it careened sideways into the wall, unable to get rid of the offending piece of jewelry. Axel watched in stunned silence at the beast suddenly fell to the floor and began melting, rivulets of black disappearing into the carpet. Soon, all that was left was the echo of its last scream and the body of Roxas, lying curled up with ten identical scratches across his throat.

Axel managed to pick himself up and stumble over to the blonde before collapsing next to him in tears. "Roxas, please don't be dead. Please." He blinked slowly, wondering why the world had gone fuzzy all of a sudden. He looked down at his stomach, and, at the realization of much blood was on his shirt, he passed out.

~::~

**Author's Note**: Well, I'm about ninety-eight percent sure that there's only going to be one more chapter after this... This whole story ended up being a little shorter than I wanted it to be, but I think it'll all work out nicely in the end. Reviews are like bunnies; they're nice to look at, fun to have, and just plain frigging awesome. :D


	6. Catastrophe

**Author's Note:** This is the end, guys! I'll have a much longer ending note at the bottom, so for now, read what happens to our beloved protagonists...

~::~

_Desperate times call for desperate measures, as they say. When one finds oneself cornered by a killer with no escape in sight, there are only two options: fight, or die. With such a grim outlook, many people would rather give up and save themselves the pain instead of trying to battle against impossible odds. Sometimes trying to struggle against Fate can be like trying to fly on borrowed wings, fluttering around helplessly and hanging on to your last scraps of hope by a thread. But if that is the case, then why do we try at all? If all attempts at redemption are doomed to fail, better to save oneself a world of suffering than just hold back the inevitable fall._

~::~

Somewhere in the darkness around him, Axel heard a noise. It was faint at first, but it grew louder and louder as the source seemed to approach him. With a pang of terror, he realized it was the growling of the creature from his nightmares, stalking towards him in the inky blackness. All that was visible of it was its glowing red eyes.

However, instead of attacking him, the beast walked right through him and continued on. Axel turned to see that he was now standing in Roxas's apartment behind the black creature. A small object whizzed past his ear and struck the wolf, startling it. It whipped out a paw, trying to hit the offender, but the little hummingbird was faster. However, another paw came up right in the bird's path and batted it away, the tiny body making a quiet thump as it hit the wall. The tiny bird twittered sadly and faded into nothingness.

Axel blinked, and the scene changed. Now he was in his own apartment, standing in the kitchen doorway. Roxas was in the center of the room, just in front of the kitchen table. In one of his hands he held a small bucket. In the other, he held a switchblade. Without blinking an eye, the blonde man carved a line into the arm holding the bucket, all the way from the inside of his elbow to his wrist. Blood began oozing out of the cut, which seemed to be deeper than it looked. The red liquid trickled down his arm and dripped in the container, slowly but surely filling it up with crimson. Axel felt his stomach twist itself into several knots as Roxas let the blood keep flowing, even widening the cut at one point to allow more blood to flow free. Once the shorter man deemed there was enough of the red liquid, he dipped two fingers in it and climbed onto the kitchen table, balancing precariously as he stood on his tiptoes and wrote on the ceiling. Once this was done, he jumped back to the ground and took the bucket of blood and a smaller cup and then began slinging it all over the kitchen, staining the walls, the floors, and every other place in the room. As soon as his task was finished, he washed the bucket and cup and put them in one of the cabinets. Roxas turned and walked straight towards Axel, ignoring him as the wolf had done. As the blonde came within arm's length of him, Axel realized that his eyes were coal black and the cut on his arm had disappeared.

The scene changed again. This time he was at the skate park, standing atop the ramp where he had spent many hours talking to Roxas. Hayner, pence, and Olette were nearby, standing around with their boards close to hand. Roxas materialized in the midst of them and reached out to touch each one in the center of their chests. At his gentle touch, their outlines crackled like static on an old TV and began to fade away, leaving nothing behind to show they were ever even there.

The last place that Axel was shown was the inside of an unfamiliar library, with Roxas sitting at a computer in front of where he was standing. The redhead peered over the blonde's shoulder to see his own name in bold on the screen, the names of his family for generations branching out above it. Roxas clicked on one of the oldest generations and began scrolling through the family history section of the page. Axel tried to keep up with him as best as he could, but the only things he managed to find out was that his old Irish ancestors had been a superstitious bunch, and at one point, his great-great-grandfather Lea had made a deal with a demon that, in return for various worldly possessions, the demon could claim one of his descendants for its own.

As Axel read this, Roxas seemed to notice his presence and turned towards him. However, instead of the brilliant blue they usually were, his eyes had turned completely white. Axel backed away in fear and began running, stumbling over unseen objects in the growing darkness. Out ahead of him there seemed to be a light, but it was shrinking rapidly, dimming with each passing second. Knowing that the nightmare creature would be right behind him if he tried to return the way he came, Axel kept running doggedly, his breath ragged in his throat.

Suddenly he reached the tiny pinpoint of remaining light. He reached out a hand to touch it… and the world went white.

~::~

The first thing Axel registered when he woke up was that everything was blindingly bright. "Am I in Heaven, or some shit like that…?"

"No luck there, buddy," The redhead turned his head and squinted to see Demyx sitting on the chair next to the bed he was laying in. "You're in the hospital recovering from some pretty nasty scratches on your stomach."

"I'm really not dead?" Axel blinked. He sat up abruptly. "Where's Roxas? Is he okay? I want to see him!"

Zexion gently pushed him back down into his pillow. "Don't open the wounds again. I think Roxas is in the next room over, but you probably won't be able to see him for a while… He didn't look too good."

Axel bit his lip and looked away. "He's strong. He can make it."

"I'm sure you're right," Demyx said, a bit over-enthusiastically. "He'll be just fine!"

"Yeah," the redhead replied. "So… Where the hell did you run off to?"

"I… Um… Well…" Demyx stuttered.

"What my partner is trying to say is that he was so terrified, he came running straight to me because he needed some… physical comfort," Zexion deadpanned, ignoring the look of disgust that crossed Axel's face and the madly blushing Demyx.

"That's… Ew. I did _not_ need that mental picture…"

Axel suddenly felt his eyes beginning to close of their own accord, and his speech became slurred when he tried to say something to the others in the room. Seeing this, Zexion gently tugged on his sleeve and murmured, "We'd better go. He needs his rest."

Demyx nodded and said to Axel, "We'll see you later, okay?"

A nurse came in as the two men retreated into the hallway. She checked all of Axel's vital signs and proceeded to start filling out some sort of report.

"Where is Roxas?" the redhead managed to say to her.

"Roxas?" The nurse looked confused. "There's no Roxas here that I know of. Now, you need some rest. I think you're still a little delirious, dear."

"But… But Demyx… He said…"

Axel let himself slip into the darkness that was beginning to cloud his mind, allowing him to escape the blinding lights of the hospital for a while. When he next woke up, he found Cecil sitting next to him, staring down at a pad of paper in his hands.

"Cecil!" Axel croaked. "Did you do it? Is the demon gone from Roxas?"

Startled, the white-haired man set the notepad in his lap and folded his hands over it. "Yes. After I called 911, I performed the necessary rituals on Roxas. He woke up long enough to say that he felt like he had been freed from some heavy burden, and then promptly fell unconscious. However, I am almost positive the demon is gone. You have no need to worry any longer."

Axel sighed in relief and sank back into his pillows. "Thank God. Now, maybe we can get on with having a normal life."

"I should think so," Despite his reassuring words, the other man looked uncertain. He turned to go, and then half-turned back to look at the bed-ridden redhead. "Axel… I have one more thing I need to tell you," Cecil wrung his hands. "I did some research before I came and met you. I wanted to make sure you weren't crazy or anything. Can't have my clients going mad on me, you know."

"Yeah, yeah, I understand. What's wrong?" Axel said impatiently.

"Roxas Strife has been dead for four years."

The redhead stared at the other man in open-mouthed horror. "Are you sure you've got the right guy here? I'm pretty sure my Roxas was alive, although he seemed to be possessed by a demon at the end there."

"He's dead. There's an obituary in the paper, articles about the crash, and I even found a certificate of death signed by a doctor from after they found him in the wreckage of the plane. Trust me, you can't be more dead than that," Cecil informed him flatly. "I'm sorry, Axel. The best thing to do now is just heal and then try to move on with your life. Forget about everything that's happened in the last week."

Axel stared after him in dismay as the white-haired man left. Roxas, dead? How could he be? He'd been talking to him for a whole week, and not once did he ever give the impression that something was off.

With a sickening pang of fear, Axel realized that nothing strange had occurred until he met the blonde man. No haunting, no strange nightmares, nothing at all was going on before the first day they met. His blood ran cold with the further realization that Roxas had probably been possessed the entire time.

The lights in the hospital room suddenly began to flicker, and then went out one by one until only the bulb directly across from his bed was still lit. Axel tried to scream, but his vocal chords were suddenly crushed by some unseen force, and he found himself unable to utter a sound. The room grew cold as a black silhouette clawed its way out of the wall, just behind the pool of light emanating from the single light bulb. It opened its eyes to reveal the pupil-less white irises staring at him. The figure stepped forwards into the light, and as the shadow was illuminated, it turned into a bloody, mangled version of Roxas that looked like a walking corpse. The smell of death invaded the room as he stepped into the center of the ring of light. Roxas's lips curled into a terrifying smile, his eyes widening so that soulless whites looked bigger than quarters. The blonde man's head suddenly began turning sideways, but it went past the normal human limit until it was completely horizontal. It fell into place with a loud crack. He stepped forwards again, this time to the very edge of the circle of light at the foot of the redhead's bed.

"Hello, Axel."

The redhead cringed away from the foul apparition in front of him. He managed to croak, "But Cecil said he thought the demon was gone!"

Roxas's smile widened. "Cecil thought wrong."

Axel watched in petrified horror as Roxas walked towards him _through the bed _until he was looming over him, head still turned at an in human angle.

"Sweet dreams…"

The last light went out.

~::~

**Author's Note**: Muahahaha! I feel so evil for just letting it hang like that, but let's face it, who really wants to know what that demon did to poor Axel? I shudder to think about it. I'm relatively sure that there will be no more additions to this, unless by some magic my subconscious figures out a way to have a happy ending out of this mess... Now that's it's over, I'd like to thank everyone who read/reviewed/alerted/did anything with this story. And my dear beta red7rain, I love you like Hunny-sempai loves cake. Which is... a lot. Also, I don't think I'll ever write horror again. I lost so much sleep after doing research for this... Well, anyways, I hope that all of you will keep a close eye on your author alert list. You never know when I'll decide to start something new!

~**Moriens-der-Lyset**


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